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BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


THIS  VOLUME   CONTAINS 


Biog^raphical  Sketches 


OF 


Leading  Citizens 


OF 


SEDGWICK   COUNTY, 
KANSAS, 


AND 


A  COMPENDIUM  OF  NATIONAL  BIOGRAPHY 


BIOGRAPHICAL   PUBLISHING  COMPANY.  •'./...  ,   '' 

George  Richmond,  Pres.;    S.  Harmer  Neff,  Sec'y-;    C.  R.  Arnold-,  T'reafi.*,'  .  ,  }/, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS.  '    "'     '"■'".' 

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OONTENTS 


GENERAL   INDEX. 


Table  of  Contents, 
Introductory,    • 


3 
11 


Compendium  of  National  Biography,    -     13 
Compendium  of  Local  Biography,       -     223 


INDEX  TO  FART  I. 


Compendium  of  National  Biography. 


Biographical  Sketches  of  National  Celebrities. 


PAGE 

Abbott,  Lyman 144 

Adams,  Charles  Kendall 143 

Adams,  John 25 

Adams,  John  Quincy 61 

Agassiz,  Louis  J.  R 137 

Alger,  Russell  A 173 

Allison,  William  B 131 

Allston,  Washington 190 

Altgeld,  John  Peter 140 

Andrews,  Elisha  B 184 

Anthony,  Susan  B 62 

Armour,  Philip  D 62 

Arnold,  Benedict 84 

Arthur,  Chester  Allen 168 

Astor,  John  Jacob 139 

Audubon,  John  James 166 

Bailey,  James  Montgomery. . .  177 

Bancroft,  George 74 

Barnard,  Frederick  A.  P 179 

Barnum,  Phineas  T 41 

Barrett,  Lawrence 156 

Barton,  Clara 209 

Bayard,  Thomas  Francis 200 

Beard,  William  H 196 

Beauregard,  Pierre  G.  T 203 

Beecher,  Henry  Ward 26 

Bell,  Alexander  Graham 96 

Bennett,  James  Gordon 206 

Benton,  Thomas  Hart 63 

Bergh,  Henry 160 

Bierstadt,  Albert 197 

Billings,  Josh 166 

Blaine,  James  Gillespie 22 

Bland,  Richard  Parks 106 


PAGE 

Boone,  Daniel 36 

Booth,  Edwin 51 

Booth,  Junius  Brutus 177 

Brice,  Calvin  S 181 

Brooks,  Phillips 130 

Brown,  John 51 

Brown,  Charles  Farrar 91 

Brush,  Charles  Francis 163 

Bryan,  William  Jennings 158 

Bryant,  William  Cullen 44 

Buchanan,  Franklin 106 

Buchanan,  James 128 

Buckner,  Simon  Bolivar 188 

Burdette,  Robert  J 103 

Burr,  Aaron Ill 

Butler,  Benjamin  Franklin.. . .  24 

Calhoun,  John  Caldwell 23 

Cameron,  James  Donald 141 

Cameron,  Simon 141 

Cammack,  Addison 197 

Campbell,  Alexander 180 

Carlisle,  John  G 133 

Carnegie,  Andrew 73 

Carpenter,  Matthew  Hale 178 

Carson,  Christopher  (Kit) 86 

Cass,  Lewis   110 

Chase,  Salmon  Portland 65 

Childs,  George  W 83 

Choate,  Rufus 207 

Claflin,  Horace  Brigham 107 

Clay,  Henry 21 

Clemens,  Samuel  Langhorne..  86 

Cleveland,  Grover 174 

Clews,  Henry , . .  153 


PAGE 

Clinton,  DeWitt 110 

Colfax,  Schuyler 139 

Conkling,  Alfred 32 

Conkling,  Roscoe 32 

Cooley,  Thomas  Mclntyre. . . .  140 

Cooper,  James  Fenimore 58 

Cooper,  Peter 37 

Copely,  John  Singleton 191 

Corbin,  Austin 205 

Corcoran,  W.  W 196 

Cornell,  Ezra 161 

Cramp,  William 189 

Crockett,  David 76 

Cullom,  Shelby  Moore 116 

Curtis,  George  William 144 

Cushman,  Charlotte 107 

Custer,  George  A 95 


Dana,  Charles  A 88 

"  Danbury  News  Man  " 177 

Davenport,  Fanny 106 

Davis,  Jefferson 24 

Debs,  Eugene  V 132 

Decatur,  Stephen 101 

Deering,  William   198 

Depew,  Chauncey  Mitchell..  ..  209 

Dickinson,  Anna lOS 

Dickinson,  Don  M 139 

Dingley,  Nelson,  Jr 215 

Donnelly,  Ignatius 161 

Douglas,  Stephen  Arnold 53 

Douglass,  Frederick 43 

Dow,  Neal 108 

Draper,  John  William 184 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS— PART  I. 


HAGE 

Drexel,  Anthony  Joseph 124 

Dupont,  Henry 198 

Edison,  Thomas  Alva 55 

Edmunds,  Georpe  Y 201 

Ellsworth,  Oliver 168 

Emerson,  Ralph  Waldo 57 

Ericsson,  John 127 

Evarts,  William  Maxwell 89 

Farragut,  David  Glascoe 80 

Field,  Cyrus  West 173 

Field,  David  Dudley 126 

Field,  Marshall 59 

Field,  Stephen  Johnson 216 

Fillmore,  Millard 113 

Foote,  Andrew  Hull 176 

Foraker,  Joseph  B 143 

Forrest,  Edwin 92 

Franklin,  Benjamin 18 

Fremont,  John  Charles 29 

Fuller,  Melville  Weston 168 

Fulton,  Robert 62 

Gage,  Lyman  J 71 

Gallatin,  Albert 112 

Garfield,  James  A 163 

Garrett,  John  Work 200 

Garrison,  William  Lloyd 50 

Gates,  Horatio  70 

Gatling,  Richard  Jordan 116 

( jeorge,  Henry 203 

Gibbons,  Cardinal  James 209 

Gilmore,  Patrick  Sarsfield 77 

Girard,  Stephen 137 

Gough,  John  B 131 

Gould,  Jay 52 

Gordon,  John  B 215 

Grant,  Ulysses  S 155 

Gray,  Asa 88 

Gray,  Elisha 149 

Greeley,  Adolphus  W 142 

Greeley,  Horace 20 

Greene,  Nathaniel 69 

Gresham,  Walter  Quintin 183 

Hale,  Edward  Everett 79 

Hall,  Charles  Francis 167 

Hamilton,  Alexander 31 

Hamlin,  Hannibal 214 

Hampton,  Wade  192 

Hancock,  Winfield  Scott 146 

Hanna,  Marcus  Alonzo 169 

Harris,  Isham  G 214 

Harrison,  William  Henry 87 

Harrison,  Benjamin 182 

Harvard,  John 129 

Havemeyer,  John  Craig 182 

Hawthorne,  Nathaniel 135 

Hayes,  Rutherford  Birchard. . .   157 
Hendricks,  Thomas  Andrew. .  212 

Henry,  Joseph 105 

Henry,  Patrick 83 

Hill,David  Bennett 90 

Hobart,  Garrett  A 213 

Holmes,  Oliver  Wendell 206 

Hooker,  Joseph 52 

Howe,  Elias 130 

Howells,  William  Dean 104 


PAGE 

Houston,  Sam 120 

Hughes,  Archbishop  John 157 

Hughitt,  Marvin 159 

Hull,  Isaac 169 

Huntington,  Collis  Potter 94 

Ingalls,  John  James 114 

Ingersoll,  Robert  G 85 

Irving,  Washington 33 

iackson,  Andrew 71 

ackson,  "Stonewall  " 67 

Jackson,  Thomas  Jonathan 67 

ay,  John 39 

Jefferson,  Joseph 47 

Jefferson,  Thomas 34 

Johnson,  Andrew 145 

Johnson,  Eastman  202 

Johnston,  Joseph  Eccleston... .  85 

Jones,  James  K 171 

i ones,  John  Paul 97 

ones,  Samuel  Porter 115 

Kane,  Elisha  Kent 125 

Kearney,  Philip 210 

Kenton,  Simon 1?<8 

Knox,  John  Jay 134 

Lamar,  Lucius  Q.  C 201 

Landon,  Melville  U 109 

Lee,  Robert  Edward 38 

Lewis,  Charles  B 193 

Lincoln,  Abraham 135 

Livermore,  Mary  Ashton 131 

Locke,  David  Ross 172 

Logan,  John  A 26 

Longfellow,  Henry  Wadsworth  37 

Longstreet,  James 56 

Lowell,  James  Russell 104 

Mackay,  John  William 148 

Madison,  James 42 

Marshall,  John 156 

Mather,  Cotton 164 

Mather,  Increase 163 

Maxim,  Hiram  S 194 

McClellan,  George  Brinton.. . .  47 

McCormick,  Cyrus  Hall 172 

McDonough,  Com.  Thomas.. .  167 

McKinley,  William 217 

Meade,  George  Gordon 75 

Medill,  Joseph 159 

Miles,  Nelson  A 176 

Miller,  Cincinnatus  Heine 218 

Miller,  Joaquin 218 

Mills,  Roger  Quarles 211 

Monroe,  James 54 

Moody,  Dwight  L 207 

Moran,  Thomas  98 

Morgan,  John  Pierpont 208 

Morgan,  John  T 216 

Morris,  Robert 165 

Morse,  Samuel  F.  B 124 

Morton,  Levi  P 142 

Morton,  Oliver  Perry 215 

Motley,  John  Lathrop 130 

"Nye,  Bill" 59 

Nye,  Edgar  Wilson 59 


PAGE 

O'Conor,  Charles 187 

Olney,  Richard 133 

Paine,  Thomas 147 

Palmer,  John  M 195 

Parkhurst,  Charles  Henry 160 

"Partington,  Mrs." 202 

Peabody,  George 170 

Peck,  George  W 187 

Peffer,  William  A 164 

Perkins,  Eli 109 

Perry,  Oliver  Hazard 97 

Phillips,  Wendell 30 

Pierce,  FrankUn 122 

Pingree,  Hazen  S 212 

Plant,  Henry  B 192 

Poe,  Edgar  Allen 69 

Polk,  James  Knox 102 

Porter,  David  Dixon 68 

Porter,  Noah 93 

Prentice,  George  Denison.. . .  119 
Prescott,  William  Hickling..  ..  96 
Pullman,  George  Mortimer —  121 

Quad,  M 193 

Quay  Matthews 171 

Randolph,  Edmund 136 

Read,  Thomas  Buchanan 132 

Reed,  Thomas  Brackett 208 

Reid,  Whitelaw 149 

Roach,  John 190 

Rockefeller,  John  Davison....  195 

Root,  George  Frederick 218 

Rothermel,  Peter  F 113 

Rutledge,  John 57 

Sage,  Russell 211 

Schofield,  John  McAllister 199 

Schurz,  Carl 201 

Scott,  Thomas  Alexander 204 

Scott,  Winfield 79 

Seward,  William  Henry 44 

Sharon,  William 165 

Shaw,  Henry  W 166 

Sheridan,  Phillip  Henry 40 

Sherman,  Charles  R 87 

Sherman,  John 86 

Shillaber,  Benjamin  Penhallow  202 
Sherman,  William  Tecumseh..    30 

Smith,  Edmund  Kirby 114 

Sousa,  John  Philip 60 

Spreckels,  Claus 159 

Stanford,  Leland 101 

Stanton,  Edwin  McMasters. . .  179 

Stanton,  Elizabeth  Cady 126 

Stephens,  Alexander  Hamilton    32 

Stephenson,  Adlai  Ewing 141 

Stewart,  Alexander  T 58 

Stewart,  William  Morris 213 

Stowe,       Harriet       Elizabeth 

Beecher 66 

Stuart,  James  E.  B 122 

Sumner,  Charles 34 

Talmage,  Thomas  DeWitt 60 

Taney,  Roger  Brooke 129 

Taylor,  Zachary 108 

Teller,  Henrv  M 127 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS— PART  I. 


PAGE 

Tesla,  Nikola 193 

Thomas,  George  H 73 

Thomas,  Theodore 172 

Thurman,  Allen  G 90 

Thurston,   John  M 166 

Tilden,  Samuel  J 48 

Tillman,  Benjamin  Ryan 119 

Toombs,  Robert 205 

"Twain,  Mark" 86 

Tyler,  John 93 

Van  Buren,  Martin 78 

Vanderbilt,  Cornelius  35 

Vail, Alfred 154 

Vest,  George  Graham 214 


PAGE 

Vilas,  William  Freeman 140 

Voorhees,  Daniel  VVolsey 95 

Waite,  Morrison  Remich 125 

Wallace,  Lewis 199 

Wallack,  Lester 121 

Wallack,  John  Lester.  121 

Wanamaker,  John 89 

Ward,  "Artemus  " 91 

Washburne,  Ehhu  Benjamin. .  189 

Washington,  George 17 

Watson,  Thomas  E 178 

Watterson,  Henry 76 

Weaver,  James  B 123 

Webster,  Daniel 19 


I'AGF. 

Webster,  Noah 49 

Weed,  Thurlow 91 

West,  Benjamin 115 

Whipple,  Henry  Benjamin. .. .  161 

White,  Stephen  V 162 

Whitefield,  George 150 

Whitman,  Walt . .    197 

Whitney,  Eli 120 

Whitney,  William  Collins 92 

Whittier,  John  Greenleaf 67 

Willard.  Frances  E 133 

Wilson,  William  L 180 

Winchell,  Alexander 175 

Wmdom,  William 138 


PORTRAITS  OF  NATIONAL  CELEBRITIES. 


PAGE 

Alger,  Russell  A 16 

Allison,  William  B 99 

Anthony,  Susan  B 63 

Armour,  Philip  D 151 

Arthur,  Chester  A 81 

Barnum,  Phineas  T 117 

Beecher,  Henry  Ward 27 

Blaine,  James  G 151 

Booth,  Edwin 63 

Bryan,  Wm.  J 63 

Bryant,  William  Cullen 185 

Buchanan,  James 81 

Buckner,  Simon  B 16 

Butler  Benjamin  F 151 

Carlisle,  John  G 151 

Chase,  Salmon  P 16 

Childs,  George  W 99 

Clay,  Henry 81 

Cleveland,  Grover 45 

Cooper,  Peter 99 

Dana,  Charles  A 151 

Depew,  Chauncey  M 117 

Douglass,  Fred 63 

Emerson,  Ralph  Waldo 27 

Evarts,  William  M 99 

Farragut,  Com.  D.  G 185 

Field,  Cyrus  W 63 


PAGE 

Field,  Marshall... 117 

Franklin,  Benjamin 63 

Fremont,  Gen.  John  C 16 

Gage,  Lyman  J 151 

Garfield,  James  A 45 

Garrison,  William  Lloyd 63 

George,  Henry 117 

Gould,  Jay 99 

Grant,  Gen.  U.  S 185 

Greeley,  Horace 81 

Hampton,  Wade 16 

Hancock,  Gen.  Winfield  S 185 

Hanna,  MarkA 117 

Harrison,  Benjamin 81 

Hayes,  R.  B 45 

Hendricks,  Thomas  A 81 

Holmes,  Oliver  W 151 

Hooker,  Gen.  Joseph 16 

IngersoU,  Robert  G 117 

Irving,  Washington 27 

Jackson,  Andrew 45 

Jefferson,  Thomas 45 

Johnston,  Gen.  J.  E 16 

Lee,  Gen.  Robert  E 185 

Lincoln,  Abraham 81 

Logan,  Gen.  John  A 16 

Longfellow,  Henry  W 185 


PAGE 

Longstreet,  Gen.  James 16 

Lowell,  James  Russell 27 

McKinley,  William 4.") 

Morse,  S.  F.  B 185 

Phillips,  Wendell 27 

Porter,  Com.  D.  D 185 

Pullman,  George  M 117 

Quay,  M.  S 99 

Reed,  Thomas  B 151 

Sage,  Russell 117 

Scott,  Gen.  Winfield 185 

Seward,  William  H 45 

Sherman,  John 99 

Sherman,  Gen.  W.  T 151 

Stanton,  Elizabeth  Cady 27 

Stowe,  Harriet  Beecher 27 

Sumner,  Charles 45 

Talmage,  T.  DeWitt 63 

Teller,  Henry  M 99 

Thurman,  Allen  G 81 

Tilden,  Samuel  J 117 

Van  Buren,  Martin 8) 

Vanderbilt,  Commodore 99 

Webster,  Daniel 27 

Whittier,  John  G 21 

Washington,  George 45 

Watterson,  Henry 63 


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Biography  is  the  only  true    History. — Emerson. 

A  people  that  tal<e  no  pride   in   the  noble  achievements  of  remote  ancestors 

will  never  achieve  anything  worthy  to  be  remembered  with 

pride  by  remote  generations. — Macaulay. 


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INTRODUCTORY. 


^JW     ,SW     ^W     ^10 


^^  JAVING  brought  to  a  successful  termination  our  labors  in  Sedgwick 
County  in  compiling  and  editing  the  sketches  herein  contained, 
we  desire,  in  presenting  this  Biographical  Record  to  our  patrons, 
to  make  a  few  remarks  necessarily  brief,  in  regard  to  the  value 
and  importance  of  local  works  of  this  nature.  We  agree  with 
Ralph  Waldo  Emerson,  that  "Biography  is  the  only  true  His- 
tory," and  also  are  of  the  opinion  that  a  collection  of  the  biog- 
raphies of  the  leading  men  of  a  nation  would  give  a  more  in- 
teresting, as  well  as  authentic,  history  of  their  country  than  any 
other  that  could  be  written.  The  value  of  such  a  production  as  this  cannot  be  too 
highly  estimated.  With  each  succeeding  year  the  haze  of  Obscurity  removes  more  and 
more  from  our  view  the  fast  disappearing  landmarks  of  the  past.  Oblivion  sprinkles 
her  dust  of  forgetfulness  on  men  and  their  deeds,  effectually  concealing  them  from  the 
public  eye,  and  because  of  the  many  living  objects  that  claim  our  attention,  few  of 
those  who  have  been  removed  from  the  busy  world  linger  long  in  our  memory. 
Even  the  glorious  achievements  of  the  present  age  may  not  insure  it  from  being  lost 
in  the  glare  of  greater  things  to  come,  and  so  it  is  manifestly  a  duty  to  posterity  for 
the  men  of  the  present  time  to  preserve  a  record  of  their  lives  and  a  story  of  their 
progress  from  low  and  humble  beginnings  to  great  and  noble  deeds,  in  order  that 
future  generations  may  read  the  account  of  their  successful  struggles,  and  profit  by 
their  example. 

Regarding  the  fore  part  of  this  volume,  "Part  i,"  which  is  devoted  to  a  "Com- 
pendium of  National  Biography,"  but  little  need  be  said.  The  lives  of  the  great  men 
and  celebrities  of  America  are  so  inaccessible  to  the  general  public,  and  are  so  often 
in  demand  without  being  accessible,  that  it  has  been  deemed  wise  to  gather  together 
a  vast  number  of  the  biographies  of  our  nation's  greatest  men  and  include  them  in 
this  work  as  a  fitting  preface  to  the  life  histories  and  biographies  of  the  local  parties 
which  follow,  and  embrace  the  latter  part  of  the  volume.  It  is  not  given  to  all  men 
to  become  great  in  a  national  sense,  but  the  life  history  of  those  who  do  makes  up 
the  history  of  our  nation,  and  as  such  the  history  of  their  lives  should  be  in  every 
home   and  library  as  a  means  of  reference  and  education. 


INTRODUCTORY 


That  portion  of  the  volume  devoted  to  a  "Compendium  of  Local  Biographj',"  or 
"Part  II,"  is  of  the  greatest  value,  and  its  value  will  increase  as  the  years  go  by. 
In  this  department  of  local  biography  is  carried  out  the  object  which  led  to  the  com- 
pilation of  this  work,  in  gathering  together  and  placing  in  enduring  form,  before  it 
becomes  too  late,  the  life  history  of  those  who  have  helped  to  build  up  this  region, 
and  who  have  taken  part  in  the  progress  and  development  in  business,  political,  social 
and  agricultural  affairs.  A  local  biographical  record  affords  the  best  means  for  pre- 
serving ancestral  history,  and  it  also  becomes,  imn)cdiately  upon  its  publication,  a 
ready  book  of  reference  for  those  who  have  occasion  to  seek  biographical  data  of  the 
leading  and  early  settled  families.  Names,  dates  and  events  are  not  easily  remembered 
by  the  average  man,  so  it  behooves  the  generations  now  living,  who  wish  to  live  in 
the  memory  of  their  descendants,  to  write  their  own  records,  making  them  full  and 
broad  in  scope,  and  minute  in  detail,  and  insure  their  preservation  by  having  them 
put  in  printed  form.  We  firmly  believe  that  in  these  collated  personal  memoirs  will 
be  found  as  true  and  as  faithful  a  record  of  Sedgwick  County  as  may  be  obtained 
anywhere,  for  the  very  sufticient  reason  that  its  growth  and  development  are  identified 
with  that  of  the  men  who  have  made  her  what  she  is  to<iay — the  representative  lead- 
ing men,  whose  personal  sketches  it  had  been  a  pleasure  to  us  to  write  and  give  a 
place  in  this  volume.  From  the  time  when  the  hand  of  civilized  man  had  not  yet 
violated  the  virgin  soil  of  the  broad,  rolling  prairies  with  desecrating  plough,  to  the 
present  period  of  activity  in  all  branches  of  industry,  we  may  read  in  the  histories  of 
the  county's  leading  men,  and  of  their  ancestors,  the  stead}'  growth  and  development 
which  has  been  going  on  here  for  half  a  century,  and  bids  fair  to  continue  for  cen- 
turies to  come.  A  hundred  years  from  now,  whatever  records  of  the  present  time  are 
then  extant,  having  withstood  the  ravages  of  time  and  the  ceaseless  war  of  the  ele- 
ments, will  be  viewed  with  an  absorbing  interest,  etiualing,  if  not  surpassing,  that 
which  is  taken  today  in  the  history  of  the  early  settlements  of  America. 

It  has  been  our  purpose  in  the  preparation  of  this  work  to  {)ass  over  no  phase 
or  portion  of  it  slightingly,  but  to  give  attention  to  the  smallest  points,  and  thus 
invest  it  with  an  air  of  accuracy,  to  be  obtained  in  no  other  way.  The  result  has 
amply  justified  the  care  that  has  been  taken,  for  it  is  our  honest  belief  that  no  more 
reliable  production,    under  the  circumstances,    could  have  been  compiled. 

One  feature  of  this  work,  to  which  we  have  given  special  prominence,  and  which 
we  are  sure  will  prove  of  extraordinary  interest,  is  the  collection  of  portraits  of  repre- 
sentative and  leading  citizens,  which  appear  throughout  the  volume.  We  have  tried 
to  represent  the  different  spheres  of  industrial  and  professional  activity  as  well  as  we 
might.  To  those  who  have  been  so  uniformly  obliging  and  have  kindly  interested 
themselves  in  the  success  of  this  work,  volunteering  information  and  data,  which  have 
been  very  helpful  to  us  in  preparing  this  Biographical  Record  of  Sedgwick  County, 
we  desire  to  express  our  grateful  and  profound  acknowledgment  of  their  valued  serv- 
ices. 

Chicago,  III.,  February,  1901.  THE  PUBLISHERS. 


NOTE 

All  the  biographical  sketches  published  in  Part  II  of  this  vol- 
ume were  submitted  to  their  respective  subjects  or  to  the  subscribers, 
from  whom  the  facts  were  primarily  obtained,  for  their  approval  or 
correction  before  going  to  press;  and  a  reasonable  time  was  allowed 
in  each  case  for  the  return  of  the  type-written  copies.  Most  of  them 
were  returned  to  us  within  the  time  allotted,  or  before  the  work 
was  printed,  after  being  corrected  or  revised;  and  these  may  there- 
fore be  regarded  as  reasonably    accurate. 

A  few,  however,  were  not  returned  to  us;  and,  as  we  have  no 
means  of  knowing  whether  they  contain  errors  or  not,  we  cannot 
vouch  for  their  accuracy.  In  justice  to  our  readers,  and  to  render 
this  work  more  valuable  for  reference  purposes,  we  have  indicated 
these  uncorrected  sketches  by  a  small  asterisk  (*),  placed  immedi- 
ately after  the  name  of  the  subject.  They  will  be  found  on  the 
last  pages  of  the  book. 

BIOGRAPHICAL  PUBLISHING  CO. 


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EORGE  WASHINGTON, 
the  first  president  of  the  Unit- 
ed States,  called  the  "Father 
of  his  Country,"  was  one  of 
the  most  celebrated  characters 
in  history.  He  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 22,  1732,  in  Washing- 
ton Parish,  Westmoreland  county,  Virginia. 
His  father,  Augustine  Washington,  first 
married  Jane  Butler,  who  bore  him  four 
children,  and  March  6,  1730,  he  married 
Mary  Ball.  Of  six  children  by  his  second 
marriage,  George  was  the  eldest. 

Little  is  known  of  the  early  years  of 
Washington,  beyond  the  fact  that  the  house 
in  which  he  was  born  was  burned  during  his 
early  childhood,  and  that  his  father  there- 
upon moved  to  another  farm,  inherited  from 
his  paternal  ancestors,  situated  in  Stafford 
county,  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Rappahan- 
nock, and  died  there  in  1743.  From  earliest 
childhood  George  developed  a  noble  charac- 
ter. His  education  was  somewhat  defective, 
being  confined  to  the  elementary  branches 
taught  him  by  his  mother  and  at  a  neighbor- 
ing school.  On  leaving  school  he  resided 
some  time  at  Mount  Vernon  with  his  half 


brother,  Lawrence,  who  acted  as  his  guar 
dian.  George's  inclinations  were  for  a  sea- 
faring career,  and  a  midshipman's  warrant 
was  procured  for  him;  but  through  the  oppo- 
sition of  his  mother  the  project  was  aban- 
doned, and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  he  was 
appointed  surveyor  to  the  immense  estates 
of  the  eccentric  Lord  Fairfax.  Three  years 
were  passed  by  Washington  in  a  rough  fron- 
tier life,  gaining  experience  which  afterwards 
proved  very  essential  to  him.  In  175 1, 
when  the  Virginia  militia  were  put  under 
training  with  a  view  to  active  service  against 
France,  Washington,  though  only  nineteen 
years  of  age,  was  appointed  adjutant,  with 
the  rank  of  major.  In  1752  Lawrence 
Washington  died,  leaving  his  large  property 
to  an  infant  daughter.  In  his  will  George 
was  named  one  of  the  executors  and  as  an 
eventual  heir  to  Mount  Vernon,  and  by  the 
death  of  the  infant  niece,  soon  succeeded  to 
that  estate.  In  1753  George  was  commis- 
sioned adjutant-general  of  the  Virginia 
militia,  and  performed  important  work  at 
the  outbreak  of  the  French  and  Indian 
war,  was  rapidly  promoted,  and  at  the  close  of 
that  war  we  find  him  commander-in-chief  of 


a^jrUht  1807 ,  by  Geo.  A.  OrU  k  C*. 


IS 


COMl'Ji.WlLM  OF  Bior.RAriir. 


all  the  forces  raised  in  Virginia.  A  cessation 
of  Indian  hostilities  on  the  frontier  having 
followed  the  expulsion  of  the  French  from 
the  Ohio,  he  resigned  his  commission  as 
commander-in-chief  of  the  Virginia  forces, 
and  then  proceeded  to  Williamsburg  to  take 
his  seat  in  the  Virginia  Assembly,  of  which 
he  had  been  elected  a  member. 

January  17,  1759,  Washington  married 
Mrs.  Martha  (Dandridge)  Curtis,  a  young 
and  beautiful  widow  of  great  wealth,  and 
devoted  himself  for  the  ensuing  fifteen  years 
to  the  quiet  pursuits  of  agriculture,  inter- 
rupted only  by  the  annual  attendance  in 
winter  upon  the  colonial  legislature  at 
Williamsburg,  until  summoned  by  his  coun- 
try to  enter  upon  that  other  arena  in  which 
his  fame  was  to  become  world-wide.  The 
war  for  independence  called  Washington 
into  service  again,  and  he  was  made  com- 
mander-in-chief of  the  colonial  forces,  and 
was  the  most  gallant  and  conspicuous  figure 
in  that  bloody  struggle,  serving  until  Eng- 
land acknowledged  the  independence  of 
each  of  the  thirteen  States,  and  negotiated 
with  them  jointly,  as  separate  sovereignties. 
December  4,  1783,  the  great  commander 
took  leave  of  his  officers  in  most  affection- 
ate and  patriotic  terms,  and  went  to  An- 
napolis, Maryland,  where  the  congress  of 
the  States  was  in  session,  and  to  that  body, 
when  peace  and  order  prevailed  everywhere, 
resigned  his  commission  and  retired  to 
Mount  Vernon. 

It  was  in  1789  that  Washington  was 
called  to  the  chief  magistracy  of  the  na- 
tion. The  inauguration  took  place  April 
30,  in  the  presence  of  an  immense  multi- 
tude which  had  assembled  to  witness  the  new 
and  imposing  ceremony.  In  the  manifold  de- 
tails of  his  civil  administration  Washington 
proved  himself  fully  equal  to  the  requirements 
of  his  position.      In  1792,  at  the  second  presi- 


dential election,  Washington  was  desirous 
to  retire;  but  he  yielded  to  the  general  wish 
of  the  country,  and  was  again  chosen  presi- 
dent. At  the  third  election,  in  1796,  he 
was  again  most  urgently  entreated  to  con- 
sent to  remain  in  the  executive  chair.  This 
he  positively  refused,  and  after  March  4, 
1797,  he  again  retired  to  Mount  Vernon 
for  peace,  quiet,  and  repose. 

Of  the  call  again  made  on  this  illustrious 
chief  to  quit  his  repose  at  Mount  Ver- 
non and  take  command  of  all  the  United 
States  forces,  with  rank  of  lieutenant-gen- 
eral, when  war  was  threatened  with  France 
in  1798,  nothing  need  here  be  stated,  ex- 
cept to  note  the  fact  as  an  unmistakable 
testimonial  of  the  high  regard  in  which  he 
was  still  held  by  his  countrymen  of  all 
shades  of  political  opinion.  He  patriotic- 
ally accepted  this  trust,  but  a  treaty  of 
peace  put  a  stop  to  all  action  under  it.  He 
again  retired  to  Mount  Vernon,  where  he 
died  December  14,  1799,  in  the  sixty-eighth 
year  of  his  age.  His  remains  were  depos- 
ited in  a  family  vault  on  the  banks  of  the 
Potomac,  at  Mount  Vernon,  where  they  still 
lie  entombed. 

BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN,  an  eminent 
American  statesman  and  scientist,  was 
born  of  poor  parentage,  January  17,  1706, 
in  Boston,  Massachusetts.  He  was  appren- 
ticed to  his  brother  James  to  learn  the  print- 
er's trade  to  prevent  his  running  away  and 
going  to  sea,  and  also  because  of  the  numer- 
ous family  his  parents  had  to  support  (there 
being  seventeen  children,  Benjamin  being 
the  fifteenth).  He  was  a  great  reader,  and 
soon  developed  a  taste  for  writing,  and  pre- 
pared a  number  of  articles  and  had  them 
published  in  the  paper  without  his  brother's 
knowledge,  and  when  the  authorship  be- 
came known  it  resulted  in  difficulty  for  tiie 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


JO 


young  apprentice,  although  his  articles  had 
been  received  with  favor  by  the  public. 
James  was  afterwards  thrown  into  prison  for 
political  reasons,  and  young  Benjamin  con- 
ducted the  paper  alone  during  the  time.  In 
1823,  however,  he  determined  to  endure  his 
bonds  no  longer,  and  ran  away,  going  to 
Philadelphia,  where  he  arrived  with  only 
three  pence  as  his  store  of  wealth.  With 
these  he  purchased  three  rolls,  and  ate  them 
as  he  walked  along  the  streets.  He  soon 
found  employment  as  a  journeyman  printer. 
Two  years  later  he  was  sent  to  England  by 
the  governor  of  Pennsylvania,  and  was 
promised  the  public  printing,  but  did  not  get 
it.  On  his  return  to  Philadelphia  he  estab- 
lished the  "Pennsylvania  Gazette,"  and 
soon  found  himself  a  person  of  great  popu- 
larity in  the  province,  his  ability  as  a  writer, 
philosopher,  and  politician  having  reached 
the  neighboring  colonies.  He  rapidly  grew 
in  prominence,  founded  the  Philadelphia  Li- 
brary in  1842,  and  two  years  later  the 
American  Philosophical  Society  and  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania.  He  was  made 
Fellow  of  the  Royal  Society  in  London  in 
1775.  His  world-famous  investigations  in 
electricity  and  lightning  began  in  1746.  He 
became  postmaster-general  of  the  colonies 
in  1753,  having  devised  an  inter-colonial 
postal  system.  He  advocated  the  rights  of 
the  colonies  at  all  times,  and  procured  the 
repeal  of  the  Stamp  Act  in  1766.  He  was 
elected  to  the  Continental  congress  of  1775, 
and  in  1776  was  a  signer  of  the  Declaration 
of  Independence,  being  one  of  the  commit- 
tee appointed  to  draft  that  paper.  He  rep- 
resented the  new  nation  in  the  courts  of 
Europe,  especially  at  Paris,  where  his  simple 
dignity  and  homely  wisdom  won  him  the 
admiration  of  the  court  and  the  favor  of  the 
people.  He  was  governor  of  Pennsylvania 
tour  vears;  was  also  a  member  of   the  con- 


vention in  1787  that  drafted  the  constitution 
of  the  United  States. 

His  writings  upon  political  topics,  anti- 
slavery,  finance,  and  economics,  stamp  him 
as  one  of  the  greatest  statesmen  of  his  time, 
while  his  "Autobiography"  and  "Poor 
Richard's  Almanac  "  give  him  precedence  in 
the  literary  field.  In  early  life  he  was  an 
avowed  skeptic  in  religious  matters,  but 
later  in  life  his  utterances  on  this  subject 
were  less  extreme,  though  he  never  ex- 
pressed approval  of  any  sect  or  creed.  He 
died  in  Philadelphia  April  17,  1790. 


DANIEL  WEBSTER.— Of  world  wide 
reputation  for  statesmanship,  diplo- 
macy, and  oratory,  there  is  perhaps  no  more 
prominent  figure  in  the  history  of  our  coun- 
try in  the  interval  between  181 5  and  i86r, 
than  Daniel  Webster.  He  was  born  at 
Salisbury  (now  Franklin),  New  Hampshire, 
January  18,  1782,  and  was  the  second  son 
of  Ebenezer  and  Abigail  (Eastman)  Webster. 
He  enjoyed  but  limited  educational  advan- 
tages in  childhood,  but  spent  a  few  months 
in  1797,  at  Phillip  Exeter  Academy.  He 
completed  his  preparation  for  college  in  the 
family  of  Rev.  Samuel  Wood,  at  Boscawen, 
and  entered  Dartmouth  College  in  the  fall 
of  1797.  He  supported  himself  most  of  the 
time  during  these  years  by  teaching  school 
and  graduated  in  1801,  having  the  credit  of 
being  the  foremost  scholar  of  his  class.  He 
entered  the  law  office  of  Hon.  Thomas  W. 
Thompson,  at  Salisbury.  In  1802  he  con- 
tinued his  legal  studies  at  Fryeburg,  Maine, 
where  he  was  principal  of  the  academy  and 
copyist  in  ithe  office  of  the  register  of 
deeds.  In  the  office  of  Christopher  Gore, 
at  Boston,  he  completed  his  studies  in 
1804-5,  ^"'i  ^^^s  admitted  to  the  bar  in  the 
latter  year,  and  at  Boscawen  and  at  Ports- 
mouth soon  rose  to  eminence  in    his  profes- 


20 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


sion.  He  became  known  as  a  federalist 
but  did  not  court  political  honors;  but,  at- 
tracting attention  by  his  eloquence  in  oppos- 
ing the  war  with  England,  he  was  elected 
to  congress  in  1812.  During  the  special 
session  of  May,  1S13,  he  was  appointed  on 
the  committee  on  foreign  affairs  and  made 
his  maiden  speech  June  10,  1813.  Through- 
out this  session  (as  afterwards)  he  showed 
his  mastery  of  the  great  economic  questions 
of  the  day.  He  was  re-elected  in  1814.  In 
1 8 16  he  removed  to  Boston  and  for  seven 
years  devoted  himself  to  his  profession, 
earning  by  his  arguments  in  the  celebrated 
"Dartmouth  College  Case"  rank  among 
the  most  distinguished  jurists  of  the  country. 
In  1820  Mr.  Webster  was  chosen  a  member 
of  the  state  convention  of  Massachusetts,  to 
revise  the  constitution.  The  same  year  he 
delivered  the  famous  discourse  on  the  "  Pil- 
grim fathers,"  which  laid  the  foundation  for 
his  fame  as  an  orator.  Declining  a  nomi- 
nation for  United  States  senator,  in  1822  he 
was  elected  to  the  lower  house  of  congress 
and  was  re-elected  in  1S24  and  1826,  but  in 
1827  was  transferred  to  the  senate.  He 
retained  his  seat  in  the  latter  chamber  until 
1 84 1.  During  this  time  his  voice  was  ever 
lifted  in  defence  of  the  national  life  and 
honor  and  although  politically  opposed  to 
him  he  gave  his  support  to  the  administra- 
tion of  President  Jackson  in  the  latter's  con- 
test with  nullification.  Through  all  these 
3'ears  he  was  ever  found  upon  the  side  of 
right  and  justice  and  his  speeches  upon  all 
the  great  questions  of  the  day  have  be- 
come household  words  in  almost  every 
family.  In  1841  Mr.  \\'ebster  was  appointed 
secretary  of  state  by  President  Harrison 
and  was  continued  in  the  same  office  by 
President  Tyler.  While  an  incumbent  of 
this  office  he  showed  consummate  ability  as 
a  diplomat  in  the  negotiation  of  the  "  Ash- 


burton  treaty  "  of  August  9,  1849,  which 
settled  many  points  of  dispute  between  the 
United  States  and  England.  In  May,  1843, 
he  resigned  his  post  and  resumed  his  pro- 
fession, and  in  December,  1845,  took  his 
place  again  in  the  senate.  He  contributed 
in  an  unofficial  way  to  the  solution  of  the 
Oregon  question  with  Great  Britain  in  1847. 
He  was  disappointed  in  1848  in  not  receiv- 
ing the  nomination  for  the  presidency.  He 
became  secretary  of  state  under  President 
Fillmore  in  1850  and  in  dealing  with  all  the 
complicated  questions  of  the  day  showed  a 
wonderful  mastery  of  the  arts  of  diplomacy. 
Being  hurt  in  an  accident  he  retired  to  his 
home  at  Marshfield,  where  he  died  Octo- 
ber 24,  1852. 

HORACE  GREELEY. —As  journalist, 
author,  statesman  and  political  leader, 
there  is  none  more  widely  known  than  the 
man  whose  name  heads  this  article.  He 
was  born  in  Amherst,  New  Hampshire,  Feb- 
ruary 3,  181 1,  and  was  reared  upon  a  farm. 
At  an  early  age  he  evinced  a  remarkable 
intelligence  and  love  of  learning,  and  at 
the  age  of  ten  had  read  every  book  he  could 
borrow  for  miles  around.  About  1821  the 
family  removed  to  Westhaven,  Vermont, 
and  for  some  years  young  Greeley  assisted 
in  carrying  on  the  farm.  In  1826  he  entered 
the  office  of  a  weekly  newspaper  at  East 
Poultney,  Vermont,  where  he  remained 
about  four  years.  On  the  discontinuance 
of  this  paper  he  followed  his  father's 
family  to  Erie  county,  Pennsylvania, 
whither  they  had  moved,  and  for  a  time 
worked  at  the  printer's  trade  in  that  neigh- 
borhood. In  183 1  Horace  went  to  New 
York  City,  and  for  a  time  found  employ- 
ment as  journeyman  printer.  January, 
1833,  in  partnership  with  Francis  Story,  he 
published  the  Morning  Post,  the  first  penny 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


21 


paper  ever  printed.  This  proved  a  failure 
and  was  discontinued  after  three  weeks. 
The  business  of  job  printing  was  carried  on, 
however,  until  the  death  of  Mr.  Story  in 
July  following.  In  company  with  Jonas 
Winchester,  March  22,  1834,  Mr.  Greeley 
commenced  the  publication  of  the  Nciv 
Yorker,  a  weekly  paper  of  a  high  character. 
For  financial  reasons,  at  the  same  time, 
Greeley  wrote  leaders  for  other  papers,  and, 
in  1838,  took  editorial  charge  of  the  Jcffcr- 
sonian,  a  Whig  paper  published  at  Albany. 
In  1840,  on  the  discontinuance  of  that  sheet, 
he  devoted  his  energies  to  the  Log  Cabin,  a 
campaign  paper  in  the  interests  of  the  Whig 
party.  Inthefallof  1841  the  latter  paper 
was  consolidated  with  the  Nc%v  Yorker,  un- 
der the  name  of  the  Trilnmc,  the  first  num- 
ber of  which  was  issued  April  10,  184 1.  At 
the  head  of  this  paper  Mr.  Greeley  remained 
until  the  day  of  his  death. 

In  1848  Horace  Greeley  was  elected  to 
the  national  house  of  representatives  to 
fill  a  vacancy,  and  was  a  member  of  that 
body  until  March  4,  1849.  In  1851  he  went 
to  Europe  and  served  as  a  juror  at  the 
World's  Fair  at  the  Crystal  Palace,  Lon- 
don. In  1855,  he  made  a  second  visit  to 
the  old  world.  In  1859  he  crossed  the 
plains  and  received  a  public  reception  at 
San  Francisco  and  Sacramento.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Republican  national  con- 
vention, at  Chicago  in  i860,  and  assisted  in 
the  nomination  of  Abraham  Lincoln  for 
President.  The  same  year  he  was  a  presi- 
dential elector  for  the  state  of  New  York, 
and  a  delegate  to  the  Loyalist  convention 
at  Philadelphia. 

At  the  close  of  the  war,  in  1865,  Mr. 
Greeley  became  a  strong  advocate  of  uni- 
versal amnesty  and  complete  pacification, 
and  in  pursuance  of  this  consented  to  be- 
come one    of  the    bondsmen   for   Jefferson 


Davis,  who  was  imprisoned  for  treason.  In 
1867  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  New  York 
state  convention  for  the  revision  of  the 
constitution.  In  1870  he  was  defeated  for 
congress  in  the  Sixth  New  York  district. 
At  the  Liberal  convention,  which  met  in 
Cincinnati,  in  May,  1872,  on  the  fifth  ballot 
Horace  Greeley  was  nominated  for  presi- 
dent and  July  following  was  nominated  for 
the  same  office  by  the  Democratic  conven- 
tion at  Baltimore.  He  was  defeated  by  a 
large  majority.  The  large  amount  of  work 
done  by  him  during  the  campaign,  together 
with  the  loss  of  his  wife  about  the  same 
time,  undermined  his  strong  constitution, 
and  he  was  seized  with  inflammation  of  the 
brain,  and  died  November  29,  1872. 

In  addition  to  his  journalistic  work,  Mr. 
Greeley  was  the  author  of  several  meritori- 
ous works,  among  which  were:  "  Hint9 
toward  reform,"  "Glances  at  Europe," 
"  History  of  the  struggle  for  slavery  exten 
sion,"  "Overland  journey  to  San  Francis- 
co," "The  American  conflict,"  and  "  Rec- 
ollections of  a  busy  life." 


HENRY  CLAY.— In  writing  of  this  em- 
inent American,  Horace  Greeley  once 
said:  "He  was  a  matchless  party  chief,  an 
admirable  orator,  a  skillful  legislator,  wield- 
ing unequaled  influence,  not  only  over  his 
friends,  but  even  over  those  of  his  political 
antagonists  who  were  subjected  to  the  magic 
of  his  conversation  and  manners.  "  A  law- 
yer, legislator,  orator,  and  statesman,  few 
men  in  history  have  wielded  greater  influ- 
ence, or  occupied  so  prominent  a  place  in 
the  hearts  of  the  generation  in  which  they 
lived. 

Henry  Clay  was  born  near  Richmond, 
in  Hanover  county,  Virginia,  April  12, 
1777,  the  son  of  a  poor  Baptist  preacher 
who  died  when   Henry  was  but   five  years 


co^rrENDJ^.u  of  lUinu^Arnr. 


old  The  mother  married  again  about  ten 
years  later  and  removed  to  Kentucky  leav- 
ing Henry  a  clerk  in  a  store  at  Richmond. 
Soon  afterward  Menry  Clay  secured  a  posi- 
tion as  copyist  in  tlie  office  of  the  clerk  of  the 
high  court  of  chancery,  and  four  years  later 
entered  the  law  office  of  Robert  Brooke, 
then  attorney  general  and  later  governor  of 
his  native  state.  In  1797  Henry  Clay  was 
licensed  as  a  lawyer  and  followed  his  mother 
to  Kentucky,  opening  an  office  at  Lexington 
and  soon  built  up  a  profitable  practice. 
Soon  afterward  Kentucky,  in  separating  from 
Virginia,  called  a  state  convention  for  the 
purpose  of  framing  a  constitution,  and  Clay 
at  that  time  took  a  prominent  part,  publicly 
urging  the  adoption  of  a  clause  providing 
for  the  abolition  of  slavery,  but  in  this  he 
was  overruled,  as  he  was  fifty  years  later, 
when  in  the  height  of  his  fame  he  again  ad- 
vised the  same  course  when  the  state  con- 
stitution was  revised  in  1850.  Young  Clay 
took  a  very  active  and  conspicuous  part  in 
the  presidential  campaign  in  1 800,  favoring 
the  election  of  Jefferson;  and  in  1803  was 
chosen  to  represent  Fayette  county  in  the 
state  legislature.  In  1806  General  John 
Adair,  then  United  States  senator  from 
Kentucky,  resigned  and  Henry  Clay  was 
elected  to  fill  the  vacancy  by  the  legislature 
and  served  through  one  session  in  which  he 
at  once  assumed  a  prominent  place.  In 
1807  he  was  again  a  representative  in  the 
legislature  and  was  elected  speaker  of  the 
house.  At  this  time  originated  his  trouble 
with  Humphrey  Marshall.  Clay  proposed 
that  each  member  clothe  himself  and  family 
wholly  in  American  fabrics,  which  Marshall 
characterized  as  the  "  language  of  a  dema- 
gogue." This  led  to  a  duel  in  which  both 
parties  were  slightly  injured.  In  1809 
Henry  Clay  was  again  elected  to  fill  a  va- 
cancy in  the  United  States  senate,  and  two 


years  later  elected  representative  in  the  low- 
er house  of  congress,  being  chosen  speaker 
of  the  house.  About  this  time  war  was  de- 
clared against  Great  Britain,  and  Clay  took 
a  prominent  public  place  during  this  strug- 
gle and  was  later  one  of  the  commissioners 
sent  to  Europe  by  President  Madison  to  ne- 
gotiate peace,  returning  in  September,  181  5, 
having  been  re-elected  speaker  of  the 
house  during  his  absence,  and  was  re-elect- 
ed unanimously.  He  was  afterward  re- 
elected to  congress  and  then  became  secre- 
tary of  state  under  John  Quincy  Adams. 
In  1 83 1  he  was  again  elected  senator  from 
Kentucky  and  remained  in  the  senate  most 
of  the  time  until  his  death. 

Henry  Clay  was  three  times  a  candidate 
for  the  presidency,  and  once  very  nearly 
elected.  He  was  the  unanimous  choice  of 
the  Whig  party  in  1 844  for  the  presidency, 
and  a  great  effort  was  made  to  elect  him 
but  without  success,  his  opponent,  James  K. 
Polk,  carrying  both  Pennsylvania  and  New 
York  by  a  very  slender  margin,  while  either 
of  them  alone  would  have  elected  Clay. 
Henry  Clay  died  at  Washington  Juije  29, 
1852. 

TAMES  GILLESPIE  BLAINE  was  one 
<J  of  the  most  distinguished  of  American 
statesmen  and  legislators.  He  was  born 
January  31,  1S30,  in  Washington  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  received  a  thorough  edu- 
cation, graduating  at  Washington  College  in 
1847.  In  early  life  he  removed  to  Maine 
and  engaged  in  newspaper  work,  becoming 
editor  of  the  Portland  "Advertiser."  While 
yet  a  young  man  he  gained  distinction  as  a 
debater  and  became  a  conspicuous  figure  in 
political  and  public  affairs.  In  1862  he  was 
elected  to  congress  on  the  Republican  ticket 
in  Maine  and  was  re-elected  five  times.  In 
March,  1869,  he  was  chosen  speaker  of  the 


COMrENDIUM  or    BIOGRAPHY. 


23 


house  of  representatives  and  was  re-elected 
in  1871  and  again  in  1873.  In  1876  he  was 
a  representative  in  the  lower  house  of  con- 
gress and  during  that  year  was  appointed 
United  States  senator  by  the  Governor  to 
fill  a  vacancy  caused  by  the  resignation  of 
Senator  Morrill,  who  had  been  appointed 
secretary  of  the  treasury.  Mr.  Blaine 
served  in  the  senate  until  March  5,  1881, 
when  President  Garfield  appointed  him  sec- 
retary of  state,  which  position  he  resigned 
in  December,  1881.  Mr.  Blaine  was  nom- 
inated for  the  presidency  by  the  Republic- 
ans, at  Chicago  in  June,  1884,  but  was  de- 
feated by  Grover  Cleveland  after  an  exciting 
and  spirited  campaign.  During  the  later 
years  of  his  life  Mr.  Blaine  devoted  most  of 
his  time  to  the  completion  of  his  work 
"Twenty  Years  in  Congress,"  which  had  a 
remarkably  large  sale  throughout  the  United 
States.  Blaine  was  a  man  of  great  mental 
ability  and  force  of  character  and  during  the 
latter  part  of  his  life  was  one  of  the  most 
noted  men  of  his  time.  He  was  the  origina- 
tor of  what  is  termed  the  "  reciprocity  idea" 
in  tariff  matters,  and  outlined  the  plan  of 
carrying  it  into  practical  effect.  In  1876 
Robert  G.  Ingersoll  in  making  a  nominating 
speech  placing  Blaine's  name  as  a  candidate 
for  president  before  the  national  Republican 
convention  at  Cincinnati,  referred  to  Blaine 
as  the  "  Plumed  Knight  "  and  this  title  clung 
to  him  during  the  remainder  of  his  life.  His 
death  occurred  at  Washington,  January  27, 
■893.  

JOHN  CALDWELL  CALHOUN,  a  dis- 
tinguished American  statesman,  was  a 
native  of  South  Carolina,  born  in  Abbeville 
district,  March  18,  1782.  He  was  given 
the  advantages  of  a  thorough  education, 
graduating  at  Yale  College  in  1804,  and 
adopted  the  calling  of  a  lawyer.      A  Demo- 


crat politically,  at  that  time,  he  took  a  fore- 
most part  in  the  councils  of  his  party  and 
was  elected  to  congress  in  181 1,  supporting 
the  tariff  of  :8i6  and  the  establishing  of 
the  United  States  Bank.  In  1817  he  be- 
came secretary  of  war  in  President  Monroe's 
cabinet,  and  in  18 24  was  elected  vice-president 
of  the  United  States,  on  the  ticket  with  John 
Quincy  Adams,  and  re-elected  in  1 828,  on  the 
ticket  with  General  Jackson.  Shortly  after 
this  Mr.  Calhoun  became  one  of  the  strongest 
advocates  of  free  trade  and  the  principle  of 
sovereignty  of  the  states  and  was  one  of 
the  originators  of  the  doctrine  that  "any 
state  could  nullify  unconstitutional  laws  of 
congress."  Meanwhile  Calhoun  had  be- 
come an  aspirant  for  the  presidency,  and 
the  fact  that  General  Jackson  advanced  the 
interests  of  his  opponent,  Van  Burcn,  led 
to  a  quarrel,  and  Calhoun  resigned  tlie  vice- 
presidency  in  1832  and  was  elected  United 
States  senator  from  South  Carolina.  It  was 
during  the  same  year  that  a  convention  was 
held  in  South  Carolina  at  which  the  "  Nul- 
lification ordinance"  was  adopted,  the  ob- 
ject of  which  was  to  test  the  constitution- 
ality of  the  protective  tariff  measures,  and 
to  prevent  if  possible  the  collection  of  im- 
port duties  in  that  state  which  had  been 
levied  more  for  the  purpose  of  ' '  protection  " 
than  revenue.  This  ordinance  was  to  go 
into  effect  in  February,  1833,  and  created  a 
great  deal  of  uneasiness  throughout  the 
country  as  it  was  feared  there  would  be  a 
clash  between  the  state  and  federal  authori- 
ties. It  was  in  this  serious  condition  of 
public  affairs  that  Henry  Clay  came  forward 
with  the  the  famous  "tariff  compromise" 
of  1833,  to  which  measure  Calhoun  and 
most  of  his  followers  gave  their  support  and 
the  crisis  was  averted.  In  1843  Mr.  Cal- 
houn was  appointed  secretary  of  state  in 
President  Tyler's  cabinet,  and   it  was  under 


24 


COMPENDIUAf  OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


his  administration  that  the  treaty  concern- 
ing the  annexation  of  Texas  was  negotiated. 
In  1845  he  was  re-elected  to  the  United 
States  senate  and  continued  in  the  senate 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  March, 
1850.  He  occupied  a  high  rank  as  a  scholar, 
student  and  orator,  and  it  is  conceded  that 
he  was  one  of  the  greatest  debaters  America 
has  produced.  The  famous  debate  between 
Calhoun  and  Webster,  in  1S33,  is  regarded 
as  the  most  noted  for  ability  and  eloquence 
in  the  history  of  the  country. 


BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN  BUTLER,  one 
of  America's  most  brilliant  and  pro- 
found lawyers  and  noted  public  men,  was 
a  native  of  New  England,  born  at  Deer- 
field,  New  Hampshire,  November  5,  1818. 
His  father,  Captain  John  Butler,  was  a 
prominent  man  in  his  day,  commanded  a 
company  during  the  war  of  1812,  and 
served  under  Jackson  at  New  Orleans. 
Benjamin  F.  Butler  was  given  an  excellent 
education,  graduated  at  Waterville  College, 
Maine,  studied  law,  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1840,  at  Lowell,  Massachusetts, 
where  he  commenced  the  practice  of  his 
profession  and  gained  a  wide  reputation  for 
his  ability  at  the  bar,  acquiring  an  extensive 
practice  and  a  fortune.  Early  in  life  he 
began  taking  an  active  interest  in  military 
affairs  and  served  in  the  state  militia  through 
all  grades  from  private  to  brigadier-general. 
In  1853  he  was  elected  to  the  state  legisla- 
ture on  the  Democratic  ticket  in  Lowell, 
and  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  passage  of 
legislation  in  the  interests  of  labor.  Dur- 
ing the  same  year  he  was  a  member  of  the 
constitutional  convention,  and  in  1859  rep- 
resented his  district  in  the  Massachusetts 
senate.  When  the  Civil  war  broke  out 
General  Butler  took  the  field  and  remained 
at   the  front   most  of  the  time  during  that 


bloody  struggle.  Part  of  the  time  he  had 
charge  of  Fortress  Monroe,  and  in  Febru- 
ary, 1862,  took  command  of  troops  forming 
part  of  the  expedition  against  New  Orleans, 
and  later  had  charge  of  the  department  of 
the  Gulf.  He  was  a  conspicuous  figure  dur- 
ing the  continuance  of  the  war.  After  the 
close  of  hostilities  General  Butler  resumed 
his  law  practice  in  Massachusetts  and  in 
1 866  was  elected  to  congress  from  the  Es- 
sex district.  In  1882  he  was  elected  gov- 
ernor of  Massachusetts,  and  in  1884  was  the 
nominee  of  the  "Greenback"  party  for 
president  of  the  United  States.  He  con- 
tinued his  legal  practice,  and  maintained  his 
place  as  one  of  the  most  prominent  men  in 
New  England  until  the  time  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  January  10,  1893. 


JEFFERSON  DAVIS,  an  officer,  states- 
man and  legislator  of  prominence  in 
America,  gained  the  greater  part  of  his  fame 
from  the  fact  that  he  was  president  of  the 
southern  confederacy.  Mr.  Davis  was  born 
in  Christian  county,  Kentucky,  June  3, 
1808,  and  his  early  education  and  surround- 
ings were  such  that  his  sympathies  and  in- 
clinations were  wholly  with  the  southern 
people.  He  received  a  thorough  education, 
graduated  at  West  Point  in  1828,  and  for  a 
number  of  years  served  in  the  army  at  west- 
ern posts  and  in  frontier  service,  first  as 
lieutenant  and  later  as  adjutant.  In  1835 
he  resigned  and  became  a  cotton  planter  in 
Warren  county,  Mississippi,  where  he  took 
an  active  interest  in  public  affairs  and  be- 
came a  conspicuous  figure  in  politics.  In 
1844  he  was  a  presidential  elector  from 
Mississippi  and  during  the  two  following 
years  served  as  congressman  from  his  dis- 
trict. He  then  became  colonel  of  a  iviissis- 
sippi  regiment  in  the  war  with  Mexico  ana 
participated  in  some  of  the  most  sev«;re  cai- 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


ties,  being  seriously  wounded  at  Buena 
Vista.  Upon  his  return  to  private  life  he 
again  took  a  prominent  part  in  political  af- 
fairs and  represented  his  state  in  the  United 
States  senate  from  1847  to  1851.  He  then 
entered  President  Pierce's  cabinet  as  secre- 
tary of  war,  after  which  he  again  entered 
the  United  States  senate,  remaining  until 
the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war.  He  then  be- 
came president  of  the  southern  confederacy 
and  served  as  such  until  captured  in  May, 
1865,  at  Irwinville,  Georgia.  He  was  held 
as  prisoner  of  war  at  Fortress  Monroe,  until 
1867,  when  he  was  released  on  bail  and 
finally  set  free  in  1868.  His  death  occurred 
December  6,  1889. 

Jefferson  Davis  was  a  man  of  excellent 
abilities  and  was  recognized  as  one  of  the 
best  organizers  of  his  day.  He  was  a 
forceful  and  fluent  speaker  and  a  ready 
writer.  He  wrote  and  published  the  "  Rise 
and  Fall  of  the  Southern  Confederacy,"  a 
work  which  is  considered  as  authority  by 
the  southern  people 


JOHN  ADAMS,  the  second  president  of 
the  United  States,  and  one  of  the  most 
conspicuous  figures  in  the  early  struggles  of 
his  country  for  independence,  was  born  in 
the  present  town  of  Quincy,  then  a  portion 
of  Braintree,  Massachusetts,  October  30, 
1735.  He  received  a  thorough  education, 
graduating  at  Harvard  College  in  1755, 
studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1758.  He  was  well  adapted  for  this  profes- 
sion and  after  opening  an  office  in  his  native 
town  rapidly  grew  in  prominence  and  public 
favor  and  soon  was  regarded  as  one  of  the 
leading  lawyers  of  the  country.  His  atten- 
tion was  called  to  political  affairs  by  the 
passage  of  the  Stamp  Act,  in  1765,  and  he 
drew  up  a  set  of  resolutions  on  the  subject 
which  were  very  popular.     In    1768  he  re- 


moved to  Boston  and  became  one  of  the 
most  courageous  and  prominent  advocates 
of  the  popular  cause  and  was  chosen  a 
member  of  the  Colonial  legislature  from 
Boston.  He  was  one  of  the  delegates  that 
represented  Massachusetts  in  the  first  Con- 
tinental congress,  which  met  in  September, 
1774.  In  a  letter  written  at  this  crisis  he 
uttered  the  famous  words:  "The  die  is  now 
cast;  I  have  passed  the  Rubicon.  Sink  or 
swim,  live  or  die,  survive  or  perish  with  my 
country,  is  my  unalterable  determination." 
He  was  a  prominent  figure  in  congress  and 
advocated  the  movement  for  independence 
when  a  majority  of  the  members  were  in- 
clined to  temporize  and  to  petition  the  King. 
In  May,  1776,  he  presented  a  resolution  in 
congress  that  the  colonies  should  assume 
the  duty  of  self-government,  which  was 
passed.  In  June,  of  the  same  year,  a  reso- 
lution that  the  United  States  "are,  and  of 
right  ought  to  be,  free  and  independent," 
was  moved  by  Richard  H.  Lee,  seconded  by 
Mr.  Adams  and  adopted  by  a  small  majority. 
Mr.  Adams  was  a  member  of  the  committee 
of  five  appointed  June  1 1  to  prepare  a 
declaration  of  independence,  in  support  of 
which  he  made  an  eloquent  speech.  He  was 
chairman  of  the  Board  of  War  in  1776  and 
in  1778  was  sent  as  commissioner  to  France, 
but  returned  the  following  year.  In  1780 
he  went  to  Europe,  having  been  appointed 
as  minister  to  negotiate  a  treaty  of  peace 
and  commerce  with  Great  Britain.  Con- 
jointly with  Franklin  and  Jay  he  negotiated 
a  treaty  in  1782.  He  was  employed  as  a 
minister  to  the  Court  of  St.  James  from 
1785  to  1788,  and  during  that  period  wrote 
his  famous  "Defence  of  the  American  Con- 
stitutions." In  1789  he  became  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  United  States  and  was  re-elected 
in  1792. 

In  1796   Mr.    Adams  was  chosen  presi- 


26 


COMPENDIUM   OF   JSIOGJiAPIir. 


dent  of  the  United  States,  his  competitor 
being  Thomas  Jefferson,  who  became  vice- 
president.  In  1800  he  was  the  Federal 
candidate  for  president,  but  he  was  not 
cordially  supported  by  Gen.  Hamilton,  the 
favorite  leader  of  his  party,  and  was  de- 
feated by  Thomas  Jefferson. 

Mr.  Adams  then  retired  from  public  life 
to  his  large  estate  at  Quincy,  Mass.,  where 
he  died  July  4,  1826,  on  the  same  day  that 
witnessed  the  death  of  Thomas  Jefferson. 
Though  his  physical  frame  began  to  give  way 
many  years  before  his  death,  his  mental 
powers  retained  their  strength  and  vigor  to 
the  last.  In  his  ninetieth  year  he  was  glad- 
dened by  .the  elevation  of  his  son,  John 
Quincy  Adams,  to  the  presidential  office. 


HENRY  WARD  BEECHER,  one  of  the 
most  celebrated  American  preachers 
and  authors,  was  born  at  Litchfield,  Connec- 
ticut, June  24, 1 8 1 3.  His  father  was  Dr.  Ly- 
man Beecher,  also  an  eminent  divine.  At 
an  early  age  Henry  Ward  Beecher  had  a 
strong  predilection  for  a  sea-faring  life,  and 
it  was  practically  decided  that  he  would  fol- 
low this  inclination,  but  about  this  time,  in 
consequence  of  deep  religious  impressions 
which  he  experienced  during  a  revival,  he 
renounced  his  former  intention  and  decided 
to  enter  the  ministry.  After  having  grad- 
uated at  Amherst  College,  in  1S34,  he  stud- 
ied theology  at  Lane  Seminary  under  the 
tuition  of  his  father,  who  was  then  president 
of  that  institution.  In  1847  he  became  pas- 
tor of  the  Plymouth  Congregational  church 
in  Brooklyn,  where  his  oratorical  ability  and 
original  eloquence  attracted  one  of  the  larg- 
est congregations  in  the  country.  He  con- 
tinued to  served  this  church  until  the  time 
of  his  death,  March  8,  1887.  Mr.  Beecher 
alsr,  found  time  for  a  great  amount  of  liter- 
al y  w>jrk-     For  a  number  of  years  he  was 


editor  of  the  "Independent"  and  also  the 
"Christian  Union."  He  also  produced  many 
works  which  are  widely  known.  Among  his 
principal  productions  are  "Lectures  to  Young 
Men,"  " Star  Papers, "  "Life  of  Christ," 
"Life  Thoughts,"  "Royal  Truths"  (a 
novel),  "Norwood,"  "  Evolution  and  Rev- 
olution," and  "Sermons  on  Evolution  and 
Religion. "  Mr.  Beecher  was  also  long  a 
prominent  advocate  of  anti-slavery  princi- 
ples and  temperance  reform,  and,  at  a  later 
period,  of  the  rights  of  women.  " 


JOHN  A.  LOGAN,  the  illustrious  states- 
man and  general,  was  born  in  Jackson 
county,  Illinois,  February  9,  1824.  In  his 
boyhood  days  he  received  but  a  limited  edu- 
cation in  the  schools  of  his  native  county. 
On  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  with  Mexico 
he  enlisted  in  the  First  Illinois  Volunteers 
and  became  its  quartermaster.  At  the  close 
of  hostilities  he  returned  home  and  was 
elected  clerk  of  the  courts  of  Jackson  county 
in  1849.  Determining  to  supplement  his 
education  Logan  entered  the  Louisville  Uni- 
versity, from  which  he  graduated  in  1852 
and  taking  up  the  study  of  law  was  admitted 
to  the  bar.  He  attained  popularity  and  suc- 
cess in  his  chosen  profession  and  was  elected 
to  the  legislature  in  1852,  1853,  1856  and 
1857.  He  was  prosecuting  attorney  from 
1853  to  1857.  He  was  elected  to  congress 
in  1858  to  till  a  vacancy  and  again  in  i860. 
At  the  outbreak  of  the  Rebellion,  Logan  re- 
signed his  office  and  entered  the  arm}-,  and 
in  September,  1861,  was  appointed  colonel 
of  the  Thirty-first  Illinois  Infantry,  which  he 
led  in  the  battles  of  Belmont  and  Fort  Don- 
elson.  In  the  latter  engagement  he  was 
wounded.  In  March,  1862,  he  was  pro- 
moted to  be  brigadier-general  and  in  the 
following  month  participated  in  the  battles 
of  Pittsburg  Landing.     In  November,  1862, 


COMPENDIUM   OF    BIOGRAPHT. 


29 


for  gallant  conduct  he  was  made  major-gen- 
eral. Throughout  the  Vicksburg  campaign 
he  was  in  command  of  a  division  of  the  Sev- 
enteenth Corps  and  was  distinguished  at 
Port  Gibson,  Champion  Hills  and  in  the 
siege  and  capture  of  Vicksburg.  In  October, 
1S63,  he  was  placed  in  command  of  the 
Fifteenth  Corps,  which  he  led  with  great 
credit.  During  the  terrible  conflict  before 
Atlanta,  July  22,  1864,  on  the  death  of 
General  McPherson,  Logan,  assuming  com- 
mand of  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  led  it 
on  to  victory,  saving  the  day  by  his  energy 
and  ability.  He  was  shortly  after  succeeded 
by  General  O.  O.  Howard  and  returned  to 
the  command  of  his  corps.  He  remained 
in  command  until  the  presidential  election, 
when,  feeling  that  his  influence  was  needed 
at  home  he  returned  thither  and  there  re- 
mained until  the  arrival  of  Sherman  at  Sa- 
vannah, when  General  Logan  rejoined  his 
command.  In  May,  1865,  he  succeeded 
General  Howard  at  the  head  of  the  Army  of 
the  Tennessee.  He  resigned  from  the  army 
in  August,  the  same  year,  and  in  November 
was  appointed  minister  to  Mexico,  but  de- 
clined the  honor.  He  served  in  the  lower 
house  of  the  fortieth  and  forty-first  con- 
gresses, and  was  elected  United  States  sena- 
tor from  his  native  state  in  1870,  1S78  and 
1885.  He  was  nominated  for  the  vice-presi- 
dency in  1 884  on  the  ticket  with  Blaine,  but 
was  defeated.  General  Logan  was  the 
author  of  "The  Great  Conspiracy,  its  origin 
and  history,"  published  in  1885.  He  died 
at  Washington,  December  26,  1886. 


JOHN  CHARLES  FREMONT,  the  first 
Republican  candidate  for  president,  was 
born  in  Savannah,  Georgia,  January  21^ 
18 1 3.  He  graduated  from  Charleston  Col- 
lege (South  Carolina)  in  1S30,  and  turned  his 
attention  to  civil  engineering.  He  was  shortly 


afterward  employed  in  the  department  of 
government  surveys  on  the  Mississippi,  and 
constructing  maps  of  that  region.  He  was 
made  lieutenant  of  engineers,  and  laid  be- 
fore the  war  department  a  plan  for  pune- 
trating  the  Rocky  Mountain  regions,  which 
was  accepted,  and  in  1842  he  set  out  upon 
his  first  famous  exploring  expedition  and  ex- 
plored the  South  Pass.  He  also  planned  an 
expedition  to  Oregon  by  a  new  route  further 
south,  but  afterward  joined  his  expedition 
with  that  of  Wilkes  in  the  region  of  the 
Great  Salt  Lake.  He  made  a  later  expedi- 
tion which  penetrated  the  Sierra  Nevadas, 
and  the  San  Joaquin  and  Sacramento  river 
valleys,  making  maps  of  all  regions  explored. 
In  1845  he  conducted  the  great  expedi- 
tion which  resulted  in  the  acquisition  of 
California,  which  it  was  believed  the  Mexi- 
can government  was  about  to  dispose  of  to 
England.  Learning  that  the  Mexican  gov- 
ernor was  preparing  to  attack  the  American 
settlements  in  his  dominion,  Fremont  deter- 
mined to  forestall  him.  The  settlers  rallied 
to  his  camp,  and  in  June,  1846,  he  defeated 
the  Mexican  forces  at  Sonoma  Pass,  and  a 
month  later  completely  routed  the  governor 
and  his  entire  army.  The  Americans  at 
once  declared  their  independence  of  Mexico, 
and  Fremont  was  elected  governor  of  Cali- 
fornia. By  this  time  Commodore  Stockton 
had  reached  the  coast  with  instructions  from 
Washington  to  conquer  California.  Fre- 
mont at  once  joined  him  in  that  effort,  which 
resulted  in  the  annexation  of  California  with 
its  untold  mineral  wealth.  Later  Fremont 
became  involved  in  a  difficulty  with  fellow 
officers  which  resulted  in  a  court  martial, 
and  the  surrender  of  his  commission.  He 
declined  to  accept  reinstatement.  He  af- 
terward laid  out  a  great  road  from  the  Mis- 
sissippi river  to  San  Francisco,  and  became 
the  first  United  States  senator  from  Califor- 


80 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHV 


nia,  in  1849.  I"  '856  he  was  nominated 
by  the  new  Republican  party  as  its  first  can- 
didate for  president  against  Buchanan,  and 
received  1 14  electoral  votes,  out  of  296. 

In  1 86 1  he  was  made  major-general  and 
placed  in  charge  of  the  western  department. 
He  planned  the  reclaiming  of  the  entire 
Mississippi  valley,  and  gathered  an  army  of 
thirty  thousand  men,  with  plenty  of  artil- 
lery, and  was  ready  to  move  upon  the  con- 
federate General  Price,  when  he  was  de- 
prived of  his  command.  He  was  nominated 
for  the  presidency  at  Cincinnati  in  1864,  but 
withdrew.  He  was  governor  of  Arizona  in 
1878,  holding  the  position  four  years.  He 
was  interested  in  an  engineering  enterprise 
looking  toward  a  great  southern  trans-con- 
tinental railroad,  and  in  his  later  years  also 
practiced  law  in  New  York.  He  died  July  1 3, 
1890. 

WENDELL  PHILLIPS,  the  orator  and 
abolitionist,  and  a  conspicuous  figare 
in  American  history,  was  born  November 
29,  181 1,  at  Boston,  Massachusetts.  He 
received  a  good  education  at  Harvard 
College,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1831, 
and  then  entered  the  Cambridge  Law  School. 
After  completing  his  course  in  that  institu- 
tion, in  1833,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar, 
in  1834,  at  Suffolk.  He  entered  the  arena 
of  life  at  the  time  when  the  forces  of  lib- 
erty and  slavery  had  already  begun  their 
struggle  that  was  to  culminate  in  the  Civil 
war.  William  Lloyd  Garrison,  by  his  clear- 
headed, courageous  declarations  of  the  anti- 
slavery  principles,  had  done  much  to  bring 
about  this  struggle.  Mr.  Phillips  was  not  a 
man  that  could  stand  aside  and  see  a  great 
struggle  being  carried  on  in  the  interest  of 
humanity  and  look  passively  on.  He  first 
attracted  attention  as  an  orator  in  1837,  at 
a  meeting  that  was  called  to  protest  against 


the  murder  of  the  Rev.  Elijah  P.  Lovejoy. 
The  meeting  would  have  ended  in  a  few 
perfunctory  resolutions  had  not  Mr.  Phillip? 
by  his  manly  eloquence  taken  the  meeting 
out  of  the  hands  of  the  few  that  were  in- 
clined to  temporize  and  avoid  radical  utter- 
ances. Having  once  started  out  in  this  ca- 
reer as  an  abolitionist  Phillips  never  swerved 
from  what  he  deemed  his  duty,  and  never 
turned  back.  He  gave  up  his  legal  practice 
and  launched  himself  heart  and  soul  in  the 
movement  for  the  liberation  of  the  slaves. 
He  was  an  orator  of  very  great  ability  and 
by  his  earnest  efforts  and  eloquence  he  did 
much  in  arousing  public  sentiment  in  behalf 
of  the  anti-slavery  cause — possibly  more 
than  any  one  man  of  his  time.  After  the 
abolition  of  slavery  Mr.  Phillips  was,  if  pos- 
sible, even  busier  than  before  m  the  literary 
and  lecture  field.  Besides  temperance  and 
women's  rights,  he  lectured  often  and  wrote 
much  on  finance,  and  the  relations  of  labor 
and  capital,  and  his  utterances  on  whatever 
subject  always  bore  the  stamp  of  having 
emanated  from  a  master  mind.  Eminent 
Clitics  have  stated  that  it  might  fairly  be 
questioned  whether  there  has  ever  spoken 
in  America  an  orator  superior  to  Phillips. 
The  death  of  this  great  man  occurred  Feb- 
ruary 4,  1884. 


WILLIAM  TECUMSEH  SHERMAN 
was  one  of  the  greatest  generals  that 
the  world  has  ever  produced  and  won  im- 
mortal fame  by  that  strategic  and  famous 
"  march  to  the  sea,"  in  the  war  of  the  Re- 
bellion. He  was  born  February  8,  1820,  at 
Lancaster,  Ohio,  and  was  reared  in  the 
family  of  the  Hon.  Thomas  Ewing,  as  his 
father  died  when  he  was  but  nine  years  of 
age.  He  entered  West  Point  in  1836,  wa.= 
graduated  from  the  same  in  1840,  and  ap- 
pointed  a  second  lieutenant  in   the   Third 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


31 


Artillery.  He  passed  through  the  various 
grades  of  the  service  and  at  the  outbreak  of 
the  Civil  war  was  appointed  colonel  of  the 
Thirteenth  Regular  Infantry.  A  full  history 
of  General  Sherman's  conspicuous  services 
would  be  to  repeat  a  history  of  the  army. 
He  commanded  a  division  at  Shiloh,  and 
was  instrumental  in  the  winning  of  that  bat- 
tle, and  was  also  present  at  the  siege  of  Vicks- 
burg.  On  July  4,  1863,  he  was  appointed 
brigadier-general  of  the  regular  army,  and 
shared  with  Hooker  the  victory  of  Mission- 
ary Ridge.  He  was  commander  of  the  De- 
partment of  the  Tennessee  from  October 
27th  until  the  appointment  of  General 
Grant  as  lieutenant-general,  by  whom  he 
was  appointed  to  the  command  of  the  De- 
partment of  the  Mississippi,  which  he  as- 
sumed in  March,  1864.  He  at  once  began 
organizing  the  army  and  enlarging  his  com- 
munications preparatory  to  his  march  upon 
Atlanta,  which  he  started  the  same  time  of 
the  beginning  of  the  Richmond  campaign  by 
Grant.  He  started  on  May  6,  and  was  op- 
posed by  Johnston,  who  had  fifty  thousand 
men,  but  by  consummate  generalship,  he 
captured  Atlanta,  on  September  2,  after 
several  months  of  hard  fighting  and  a  severe 
loss  of  men.  General  She  man  started  on 
his  famous  march  to  the  sea  November  15, 
1864,  and  by  December  10  he  was  before 
Savannah,  which  he  took  on  December  23. 
This  campaign  is  a  monument  to  the  genius 
of  General  Sherman  as  he  only  lost  567 
men  from  Atlanta  to  the  sea.  After  rest- 
ing his  army  he  moved  northward  and  occu- 
pied the  following  places:  Columbia, 
Cheraw,  Fayetteville,  Ayersboro,  Benton- 
ville,  Goldsboro,  Raleigh,  and  April  18,  he 
accepted  the  surrender  of  Johnston's  army 
on  a  basis  of  agreement  that  was  not  re- 
ceived by  the  Government  with  favor,  but 
finally  accorded  Johnston  the  same  terms  as 


Lee  was  given  by  General  Grant.  He  was 
present  at  the  grand  review  at  Washington, 
and  after  the  close  of  the  war  was  appointed 
to  the  command  of  the  military  division  of 
the  Mississippi;  later  was  appointed  lieu- 
tenant-general, and  assigned  to  the  military 
division  of  the  Missouri.  When  General 
Grant  was  elected  president  Sherman  became 
general,  March  4,  1869,  and  succeeded  to 
the  command  of  the  army.  His  death  oc- 
curred February  14,  1891,  at  Washington. 


ALEXANDER  HAMILTON,  one  of  the 
most  prominent  of  the  early  American 
statesmen  and  financiers,  was  born  in  Nevis, 
an  island  of  the  West  Indies,  January  11, 
1757,  his  father  being  a  Scotchman  and  his 
mother  of  Huguenot  descent.  Owing  to  the 
death  of  his  mother  and  business  reverses 
which  came  to  his  father,  young  Hamilton 
was  sent  to  his  mother's  relatives  in  Santa 
Cruz;  a  few  years  later  was  sent  to  a  gram- 
mar school  at  Elizabethtown,  New  Jersey, 
and  in  1773  entered  what  is  now  known  as 
Columbia  College.  Even  at  that  time  he 
began  taking  an  active  part  in  public  affairs 
and  his  speeches,  pamphlets,  and  newspaper 
articles  on  political  affairs  of  the  day  at- 
tracted considerable  attention.  In  1776  he 
received  a  captain's  commission  and  served 
in  Washington's  army  with  credit,  becoming 
aide-de-camp  to  \\^ashington  with  rank  of 
lieutenant-colonel.  In  1781  he  resigned  his 
commission  because  of  a  rebuke  from  Gen- 
eral Washington.  He  next  received  com- 
mand of  a  New  York  battalion  and  partici- 
pated in  the  battle  of  Yorktown.  After 
this  Hamilton  studied  law,  served  several 
terms  in  congress  and  was  a  member  of  the 
convention  at  which  the  Federal  Constitu- 
tion was  drawn  up.  His  work  connected 
with  "  The  Federalist "  at  about  this  time 
attracted    much    attention.      Mr.    Hamilton 


82 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


was  chosen  as  the  first  secretary  of  the 
United  States  treasury  and  as  such  was  the 
author  of  the  funding  system  and  founder  of 
the  United  States  Bank.  In  1798  he  was 
made  inspector-general  of  the  army  with  the 
rank  of  major-general  and  was  also  for  a 
short  time  commander-in-chief.  In  1804 
Aaron  Burr,  then  candidate  for  governor  of 
New  York,  challenged  Alexander  Hamilton 
to  fight  a  duel,  Burr  attributing  his  defeat 
to  Hamilton's  opposition,  and  Hamilton, 
though  declaring  the  code  as  a  relic  of  bar- 
barism, accepted  the  challenge.  They  met 
at  Weehawken,  New  Jersey,  July  n,  1804. 
Hamilton  declined  to  fire  at  his  adversary, 
but  at  Burr's  first  fire  was  fatally  wounded 
and  died  July  12,  1804. 


ALEXANDER  HAMILTON  STEPH- 
ENS, vice-president  of  the  southern 
confederacy,  a  former  United  States  senator 
and  governor  of  Georgia,  ranks  among  the 
great  men  of  American  history.  He  was  born 
February  11,  18 12,  near  Crawfordsville, 
Georgia.  He  was  a  graduate  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Georgia,  and  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  1834.  In  1837  he  made  his  debut  in 
political  life  as  a  member  of  the  state  house 
of  representatives,  and  in  1841  declined  the 
nomination  for  the  same  office;  but  in  1842 
he  was  chosen  by  the  same  constituency  as 
state  senator.  Mr.  Stephens  was  one  of 
the  promoters  of  the  Western  and  Atlantic 
Railroad.  In  1843  he  was  sent  by  his  dis- 
trict to  the  national  house  of  representatives, 
which  office  he  held  for  si.xteen  consec- 
utive years.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
house  during  the  passing  of  the  Compromise 
Bill,  and  was  one  of  its  ablest  and  most 
active  supporters.  The  same  year  (1850) 
Mr.  Stephens  was  a  delegate  to  the  state 
convention  that  framed  the  celebrated 
"  Georgia  Platform,"  and  was  also   a  dele- 


gate to  the  convention  that  passed  the  ordi- 
nance of  secession,  though  he  bitterly  op- 
posed that  bill  by  voice  and  vote,  yet  he 
readily  acquiesced  in  their  decision  after 
it  received  the  votes  of  the  majority  of  the 
convention.  He  was  chosen  vice-president 
of  the  confederacy  without  opposition,  and 
in  1865  he  was  the  head  of  the  commis- 
sion sent  by  the  south  to  the  Hampton 
Roads  conference.  He  was  arrested  after 
the  fall  of  the  confederacy  and  was  con- 
fined in  Fort  Warren  as  a  prisoner  of  state 
but  was  released  on  his  own  parole.  Mr. 
Stephens  was  elected  to  the  forty-third, 
forty-fourth,  forty-fifth,  forty-sixth  and  for- 
ty-seventh congresses,  with  hardly  more  than 
nominal  opposition.  He  was  one  of  the 
Jeffersonian  school  of  American  politics. 
He  wrote  a  number  of  works,  principal 
among  which  are:  "Constitutional  View 
of  the  War  between  the  States,"  and  a 
"  Compendium  of  the  History  of  the  United 
States."  He  was  inaugurated  as  governor 
of  Georgia  November  4th,  1882,  but  died 
March  4,  1883,  before  the  completion  of 
his  term. 

ROSCOE  CONKLING  was  one  of  the 
most  noted  and  famous  of  American 
statesmen.  He  was  among  the  most  fin- 
ished, fluent  and  eloquent  orators  that  have 
ever  graced  the  halls  of  the  American  con- 
gress; ever  ready,  witty  and  bitter  in  de- 
bate he  was  at  once  admired  and  feared  by 
his  political  opponents  and  revered  by  his 
followers.  True  to  his  friends,  loyal  to  the 
last  degree  to  those  with  whom  his  inter- 
ests were  associated,  he  was  unsparing  to  his 
foes  and  it  is  said  "never  forgot  an  injury." 
Roscoe  Conkling  was  born  at  Albany, 
New  York,  on  the  30th  of  October,  1829, 
being  a  son  of  Alfred  Conkling.  Alfred 
Conkling  was  also  a  native  of  New  York, 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHr. 


8^ 


born  at  East  Hampton,  October  12,  1789, 
and  became  one  of  the  most  eminent  law- 
yers in  the  Empire  state;  published  several 
legal  works;  served  a  term  in  congress;  aft- 
erward as  United  States  district  judge  for 
Northern  New  York,  and  in  1852  was  min- 
ister to  Mexico.     Alfred   Conkling  died  in 

1874- 

Roscoe  Conkling,  whose  name  heads 
this  article,  at  an  early  age  took  up  the 
study  of  law  and  soon  became  successful  and 
prominent  at  the  bar.  About  1846  he  re- 
moved to  Utica  and  in  1858  was  elected 
mayor  of  that  city.  He  was  elected  repre- 
sentative in  congress  from  this  district  and 
was  re-elected  three  times.  In  1867  he  was 
elected  United  States  senator  from  the  state 
of  New  York  and  was  re-elected  in  1873 
and  1879.  In  May,  18S1,  he  resigned  on 
account  of  differences  with  the  president. 
In  March,  1882,  he  was  appointed  and  con- 
firmed as  associate  justice  of  the  United 
States  supreme  court  but  declined  to  serve. 
His  death  occurred  April  18,   i 


WASHINGTON  IRVING,  one  of  the 
most  eminent,  talented  and  popu- 
lar of  American  authors,  was  born  in  New 
York  City,  April  3,  1783.  His  father  was 
William  Irving,  a  merchant  and  a  native  of 
Scotland,  who  had  married  an  English  lady 
and  emigrated  to  America  some  twenty 
years  prior  to  the  birth  of  Washington. 
Two  of  the  older  sons,  William  and  Peter, 
were  partially  occupied  with  newspaper 
work  and  literary  pursuits,  and  this  fact 
naturally  inclined  Washington  to  follow 
their  example.  Washington  Irving  was  given 
the  advantages  afforded  by  the  common 
schools  until  about  sixteen  years  of  age 
when  he  began  studying  law,  but  continued 
to  acquire  his  literary  training  by  diligent 
perusal  at  home  of  the  older  English  writers. 


When  nineteen  he  made  his  first  literary 
venture  by  printing  in  the  ' '  Morning  Chroni- 
cle," then  edited  by  his  brother,  Dr.  Peter 
Irving,  a  series  of  local  sketches  under  the 
noni-de-phiine  ol  "  Jonathan  Oldstyle."  In 
1804  he  began  an  extensive  trip  through 
Europe,  returned  in  1806,  quickly  com- 
pleted his  legal  studies  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar,  but  never  practiced  the  profession. 
In  1807  he  began  the  amusing  serial  "Sal- 
magundi," which  had  an  immediate  suc- 
cess, and  not  only  decided  his  future 
career  but  long  determined  the  charac- 
ter of  his  writings.  In  1808,  assisted  by 
his  brother  Peter,  he  wrote  "  Knickerbock- 
er's History  of  New  York,"  and  in  1810  an 
excellent  biography  of  Campbell,  the  poet. 
After  this,  for  some  time,  Irving's  attention 
was  occupied  by  mercantile  interests,  but 
the  commercial  house  in  which  he  was  a 
partner  failed  in  1817.  In  1814  he  was 
editor  of  the  Philadelphia  "Analectic  Maga- 
zine."  About  1818  appeared  his  "Sketch- 
Book,"  o\Qxthe  nom-de-phiiiie  oi  "Geoffrey 
Crayon,"  which  laid  the  foundation  of  Ir- 
ving's fortune  and  permanent  fame.  This 
was  soon  followed  by  the  legends  of 
"Sleepy  Hollow,"  and  "  Rip  Van  Winkle," 
which  at  once  took  high  rank  as  literary 
productions,  and  Irving's  reputation  was 
firmly  established  in  both  the  old  and  new 
worlds.  After  this  the  path  of  Irving  was 
smooth,  and  his  subsequent  writings  ap- 
peared with  rapidity,  including  "Brace- 
bridge  Hall,"  "The  Tales  of  a  Traveler," 
"  History  of  the  Life  and  Voyages  of  Chris- 
topher Columbus,"  "The  Conquest  of 
Granada,"  "The  Alhambra,"  "  Tour  on 
the  Prairies,"  "Astoria,"  "Adventures  ol 
Captain  Bonneville,"  "Wolfert's  Roost," 
"  Mahomet  and  his  Successors,"  and  "Life 
of  Washington,"  besides  other  works. 

Washington  Irving  was  never  married. 


84 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


He  resided  during  the  closing  years  of  iiis 
life  at  Sunnyside  (Tarrytown)  on  the  Hud- 
son, where  he  died  November  28,  1859. 


CHARLES  SUMNER.— Boldly  outlined 
on  the  pages  of  our  history  stands  out 
the  rugged  figure  of  Charles  Sumner,  states- 
man, lawyer  and  writer.  A  man  of  unim- 
peachable integrity,  indomitable  will  and 
with  the  power  of  tireless  toil,  he  was  a  fit 
leader  in  troublous  times.  First  in  rank  as 
an  anti-slavery  leader  in  the  halls  of  con- 
gress, he  has  stamped  his  image  upon  the 
annals  of  his  time.  As  an  orator  he  took 
front  rank  and,  in  wealth  of  illustration, 
rhetoric  and  lofty  tone  his  eloquence  equals 
anything  to  be  found  in  history. 

Charles  Sumner  was  born  in  Boston, 
Massachusetts,  January  6,  181 1,  and  was 
the  son  of  Charles  P.  and  Relief  J.  Sumner. 
The  family  had  long  been  prominent  in  that 
state.  Charles  was  educated  at  the  Boston 
Public  Latin  School;  entered  Harvard  Col- 
lege in  1826,  and  graduated  therefrom  in 
1830.  In  1 83 1  he  joined  the  Harvard  Law 
School,  then  under  charge  of  Judge  Story, 
and  gave  himself  up  to  the  study  of  law 
with  enthusiasm.  His  leisure  was  devoted 
to  contributing  to  the  American  Jurist.  Ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  1834  he  was  appointed 
reporter  to  the  circuit  court  by  Judge  Story. 
He  published  several  works  about  this  time, 
and  from  1835  to  1837  and  again  in  1843 
was  lecturer  in  the  law  school.  He  had 
planned  a  lawyer's  life,  but  in  1845  he  gave 
his  attention  to  politics,  speaking  and  working 
against  the  admission  of  Te.xas  to  the  Union 
and  subsequently  against  the  Mexican  war. 
In  1848  he  was  defeated  for  congress  on  the 
Free  Soil  ticket.  His  stand  on  the  anti- 
slavery  question  at  that  time  alienated  both 
friends  and  clients,  but  he  never  swerved 
from  his  convictions.    In  185 1  he  was  elected 


to  the  United  States  senate  and  took  his 
seat  therein  December  r  of  that  year.  From 
this  time  his  life  became  the  history  of  the 
anti-slavery  cause  in  congress.  In  August, 
1852,  he  began  his  attacks  on  slavery  by  a 
masterly  argument  for  the  repeal  of  the 
fugitive  slave  law.  On  May  22,  1856,  Pres- 
ton Brooks,  nephew  of  Senator  Butler,  of 
South  Carolina,  made  an  attack  upon  Mr. 
Sumner,  at  his  desk  in  the  senate,  striking 
him  over  the  head  with  a  heavy  cane.  The 
attack  was  quite  serious  in  its  effects  and 
kept  Mr.  Sumner  absent  from  his  seat  in  the 
senate  for  about  four  years.  In  1857,  1863 
and  1869  he  was  re-elected  to  the  office  of 
senator,  passing  some  twenty-three  years  in 
that  position,  always  advocating  the  rights 
of  freedom  and  equity.  He  died  March  11, 
1874-  

THOMAS  JEFFERSON,  the  third  pres- 
ident of  the  United  States,  was  born 
near  Charlottesville,  Albemarle  county,  Vir- 
ginia, April  13,  1743,  and  was  the  son  of 
Peter  and  Jane  (Randolph)  Jefferson.  He 
received  the  elements  of  a  good  education, 
and  in  1760  entered  William  and  Mary  Col- 
lege. After  remaining  in  that  institution  for 
two  years  he  took  up  the  study  of  law  with 
George  Wythe,  of  Williamsburg,  Virginia, 
one  of  the  foremost  lawyers  of  his  day,  and 
was  admitted  to  practice  in  1767.  He  ob- 
tained a  large  and  profitable  practice,  which 
he  held  for  eight  years.  The  conflict  be- 
tween Great  Britain  and  the  Colonies  then 
drew  him  into  public  life,  he  having  for 
some  time  given  his  attention  to  the  study 
of  the  sources  of  law,  the  origin  of  liberty 
and  equal  rights. 

Mr.  Jefferson  was  elected  to  the  Virginia 
house  of  burgesses  in  1769,  and  served  in 
that  body  several  years,  a  firm  supporter  of 
liberal    measures,    and,    although    a   slave- 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


35 


holder  himself,  an  opponent  of  slavery. 
With  others,  he  was  a  leader  among  the  op- 
position to  the  king.  He  took  his  place  as 
a  member  of  the  Continental  congress  June 
21,  1775,  and  after  serving  on  several  com- 
mittees was  appointed  to  draught  a  Declara- 
tion of  Independence,  which  he  did,  some 
corrections  being  suggested  by  Dr.  Franklin 
and  John  Adams.  This  document  was  pre- 
sented to  congress  June  28,  1776,  and  after 
six  days'  debate  was  passed  and  was  signed. 
In  the  following  September  Mr.  Jefferson 
resumed  his  seat  in  the  Virginia  legislature, 
and  gave  much  time  to  the  adapting  of  laws 
of  that  state  to  the  new  condition  of  things. 
He  drew  up  the  law,  the  first  ever  passed  by 
a  legislature  or  adopted  by  a  government, 
which  secured  perfect  religious  freedom. 
June  I,  1779,  he  succeeded  Patrick  Henry 
as  governor  of  Virginia,  an  office  which, 
after  co-operating  with  Washington  in  de- 
fending the  country,  he  resigned  two  years 
later.  One  of  his  own  estates  was  ravaged 
by  the  British,  and  his  house  at  Monticello 
was  held  by  Tarleton  for  several  days,  and 
Jefferson  narrowly  escaped  capture.  After 
the  death  of  his  wife,  in  1782,  he  accepted 
the  position  of  plenipotentiary  to  France, 
which  he  had  declined  in  1776.  Before 
leaving  he  served  a  short  time  in  congress 
at  Annapolis,  and  succeeded  in  carrying  a 
bill  for  establishing  our  present  decimal  sys- 
tem of  currency,  one  of  his  most  useful  pub- 
lic services.  He  remained  in  an  official  ca- 
pacity until  October,  1789,  and  was  a  most 
active  and  vigilant  minister.  Besides  the 
onerous  duties  of  his  office,  during  this  time, 
he  published  "Notes  on  Virginia,"  sent  to 
the  United  States  seeds,  shrubs  and  plants, 
forwarded  literary  and  scientific  news  and 
gave  useful  advice  to  some  of  the  leaders  of 
the  French  Revolution. 

Mr.  Jefferson  landed  in  Virginia  Novem- 


ber 18,  1789,  having  obtained  a  leave  of 
absence  from  his  post,  and  shortly  after  ac- 
cepted Washington's  offer  of  the  portfolio 
of  the  department  of  state  in  his  cabinet. 
He  entered  upon  the  duties  of  his  office  in 
March,  1791,  and  held  it  until  January  i, 
1794,  when  he  tendered  his  resignation. 
About  this  time  he  and  Alexander  Hamilton 
became  decided  and  aggressive  political  op- 
ponents, Jefferson  being  in  warm  sympathy 
with  the  people  in  the  French  revolution 
and  strongly  democratic  in  his  feelings, 
while  Hamilton  took  the  opposite  side.  In 
1796  Jefferson  was  elected  vice-president  of 
the  United  States.  In  1800  he  was  elected 
to  the  presidency  and  was  inaugurated 
March  4,  1801.  During  his  administration, 
which  lasted  for  eight  years,  he  having  been 
re-elected  in  1804,  he  waged  a  successful 
war  against  the  Tripolitan  pirates;  purchased 
Louisiana  of  Napoleon;  reduced  the  public 
debt,  and  was  the  originator  of  many  wise 
measures.  Declining  a  nomination  for  a 
third  term  he  returned  to  Monticello,  where 
he  died  July  4,  1826,  but  a  few  hours  before 
the  death  of  his  friend,  John  Adams. 

Mr.  Jefferson  was  married  January  i, 
1772,  to  Mrs.  Martha  Skelton,  a  young, 
beautiful,  and  wealthy  widow,  who  died 
September  6,  1782,  leaving  three  children, 
three  more  having  died  previous  to  her 
demise. 

CORNELIUS  VANDERBILT, known  as 
"Commodore"  Vanderbilt,  was  the 
founder  of  what  constitutes  the  present  im- 
mense fortune  of  the  Vanderbilt  family.  He 
was  born  May  27,  1794,  at  Port  Richmond, 
Staten  Island,  Richmond  county,  New 
York,  and  we  find  him  at  sixteen  years  run- 
ning a  small  vessel  between  his  home  and 
New  York  City.  The  fortifications  of  Sta- 
ten and  Long  Islands  were  just  in  course  of 


86 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


construction,  and  he  carried  the  laborers 
from  New  York  to  the  fortifications  in  his 
"  perianger,  "  as  it  was  called,  in  the  day, 
and  at  night  carried  supphes  to  the  fort  on 
the  Hudson.  Later  he  removed  to  New 
York,  where  he  added  to  his  little  fleet.  At 
the  age  of  twenty- three  he  was  free  from 
debt  and  was  worth  $9,000,  and  in  1817, 
with  a  partner  he  built  the  first  steamboat 
that  was  run  between  New  York  and  New 
Brunswick,  New  Jersey,  and  became  her 
captain  at  a  salary  of  $1,000  a  year.  The 
next  year  he  took  command  of  a  larger  and 
better  boat  and  by  1824  he  was  in  complete 
control  of  the  Gibbon's  Line,  as  it  was 
called,  which  he  had  brought  up  to  a  point 
where  it  paid  $40,000  a  year.  Commodore 
Vanderbilt  acquired  the  ferry  between  New 
York  and  Elizabethport,  New  Jersey,  on  a 
fourteen  years'  lease  and  conducted  this  on 
a  paying  basis.  He  severed  his  connections 
with  Gibbons  in  1829  and  engaged  in 
business  alone  and  for  twenty  years  he  was 
the  leading  steamboat  man  in  the  country, 
building  and  operating  steamboats  on  the 
Hudson  River,  Long  Island  Sound,  on  the 
Delaware  River  and  the  route  to  Boston, 
and  he  had  the  monopoly  of  trade  on  these 
routes.  In  1850  he  determined  to  broaden 
his  field  of  operation  and  accordingly  built 
the  steamship  Prometheus  and  sailed  for 
the  Isthmus  of  Darien,  where  he  desired  to 
make  a  personal  investigation  of  the  pros- 
pects of  the  American  Atlantic  and  Pacific 
Ship  Canal  Company,  in  which  he  had  pur- 
chased a  controlling  interest.  Commodore 
Vanderbilt  planned,  as  a  result  of  this  visit, 
a  transit  route  from  Greytown  on  the  At- 
lantic coast  to  San  Juan  del  Sud  on  the  Pa- 
cific coast,  which  was  a  saving  of  700  miles 
over  the  old  route.  In  1851  he  placed  three 
steamers  on  the  Atlantic  side  and  four  on 
the  Pacific  side  to  accommodate  the  enor- 


mous traffic  occasioned  by  the  discovery  of 
gold  in  California.  The  following  year 
three  more  vessels  were  added  to  his  fleet 
and  a  branch  line  established  from  New 
Orleans  to  Greytown.  In  1853  the  Com- 
modore sold  out  hisNicarauguaTransit  Com- 
pany, which  had  netted  him  $1,000,000 
and  buiit  the  renowned  steam  yacht,  the 
"North  Star."  He  continued  in  the  ship- 
ping business  nine  years  longer  and  accu- 
mulated some  $10,000,000.  In  1861  he 
presented  to  the  government  his  magnifi- 
cent steamer  "  Vanderbilt,  "  which  had  cost 
him  $800,000  and  for  which  he  received  the 
thanks  of  congress.  In  1844  he  became 
interested  in  the  railroad  business  which  he 
followed  in  later  years  and  became  one  of 
the  greatest  railroad  magnates  of  his  time. 
He  founded  the  Vanderbilt  University  at  a 
cost  of  $1,000,000.  He  died  January  4, 
1877,  leaving  a  fortune  estimated  at  over 
$100,000,000  to  his  children. 


DANIEL  BOONE  was  one  of  the  most 
famous  of  the  many  American  scouts, 
pioneers  and  hunters  which  the  early  settle- 
ment of  the  western  states  brought  into 
prominence.  Daniel  Boone  was  born  Feb- 
ruary II,  1735,  in  Bucks  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, but  while  yet  a  young  man  removed 
to  North  Carolina,  where  he  was  married. 
In  1769,  with  five  companions,  he  pene- 
trated into  the  forests  and  wilds  of  Kentucky 
— then  uninhabited  by  white  men.  He  had 
frequent  conflicts  with  the  Indians  and  was 
captured  by  them  but  escaped  and  continued 
to  hunt  in  and  explore  that  region  for  over 
a  year,  when,  in  1 771,  he  returned  to  his 
home.  In  the  summer  of  1773,  he  removed 
with  his  own  and  five  other  families  into 
what  was  then  the  wilderness  of  Kentucky, 
and  to  defend  his  colony  against  the  savages, 
he  built,  in  1775,  a  fort  at   Boonesborough, 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


37 


on  the  Kentucky  river.  This  fort  was  at- 
tacked by  the  Indians  several  times  in  1777, 
but  they  were  repulsed.  The  following 
year,  however,  Boone  was  surprised  and 
captured  by  them.  They  took  him  to  De- 
troit and  treated  him  with  leniency,  but  he 
soon  escaped  and  returned  to  his  fort  which 
he  defended  with  success  against  four  hun- 
dred and  fifty  Indians  in  August,  1778.  His 
son,  Enoch  Boone,  was  the  first  white  male 
child  born  in  the  state  of  Kentucky.  In 
1795  Daniel  Boone  removed  with  his  family 
to  Missouri,  locating  about  forty-five  miles 
west  of  the  present  site  of  St.  Louis,  where 
he  found  fresh  fields  for  his  favorite  pursuits 
— adventure,  hunting,  and  pioneer  life.  Hi's 
death  occurred  September  20,  1820. 


HENRY  WADSWORTH  LONGFEL- 
LOW, said  to  have  been  America's 
greatest  "  poet  of  the  people,"  was  born  at 
Portland,  Maine,  February  27,  1807.  He 
entered  Bowdoin  College  at  the  age  of  four- 
teen, and  graduated  in  1S25.  During  his 
college  days  he  distinguished  himself  in  mod- 
ern languages,  and  wrote  several  short 
poems,  one  of  the  best  known  of  which  was 
the  "  Hymn  of  the  Moravian  Nuns."  After 
his  graduation  he  entered  the  law  office  of 
his  father,  but  the  following  year  was  offered 
the  professorship  of  modern  languages  at 
Bowdoin,  with  the  privilege  of  three  years 
study  in  Europe  to  perfect  himself  in  French, 
Spanish,  Italian  and  German.  After  the 
three  years  were  passed  he  returned  to  the 
United  States  and  entered  upon  his  profes- 
sorship in  1829.  His  first  volume  was  a 
small  essay  on  the  "Moral  and  Devotional 
Poetry  of  Spain"  in  1833.  In  1835  he  pub- 
lished some  prose  sketches  of  travel  under 
the  title  of  "Outre  Mer,  a  Pilgrimage  be- 
yond the  Sea."  In  1835  he  was  elected  to 
the  chair  of  modern  languages  and  literature 


at  Harvard  University  and  spent  a  year  in 
Denmark,  Sweden  and  Switzerland,  culti- 
vating a  knowledge  of  early  Scandinavian 
literature  and  entered  upon  his  professor- 
ship in  1836.  Mr.  Longfellow  published  in 
1839  "  Hyperion,  a  Romance,"  and  "Voices 
of  the  Night, "  and  his  first  volume  of  original 
verse  comprising  the  selected  poems  of 
twenty  years  work,  procured  him  immediate 
recognition  as  a  poet.  "  Ballads  and  other 
poems"  appeared  in  1842,  the  "Spanish 
Student  "  a  drama  in  three  acts,  in  1843, 
"The  Belfry  of  Bruges  "  in  1846,  "Evan- 
geline, a  Tale  of  Acadia,"  in  1847,  which 
was  considered  his  master  piece.  In  1845 
he  published  a  large  volume  of  the  "Poets 
and  Poetry  of  Europe,"  1849  "  Kavanagh, 
a  Tale,"  "The  Seaside  and  Fireside"  in 
1850,  "The  Golden  Legend  "  in  1851,  "The 
Song  of  Hiawatha  "  in  1855,  "The  Court- 
ship of  Miles  Standish  "  in  1858,  "  Tales  of 
a  Wayside  Inn  "  in  1863;  "  Flower  de  Luce" 
in  1866;"  "New  England  Tragedies"  in 
1869;  "The  Divine  Tragedy"  in  1871; 
"Three  Books  of  Song"  in  1872;  "The 
Hanging  of  the  Crane  "  in  1874.  He  also 
published  a  masterly  translation  of  Dante 
in  1867-70  and  the  "  Morituri  Salutamus," 
a  poem  read  at  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of 
his  class  at  Bowdoin  College.  Prof.  Long- 
fellow resigned  his  chair  at  Harvard  Univer- 
sity in  1854,  but  continued  to  reside  at  Cam- 
bridge. Some  of  his  poetical  works  have 
been  translated  into  many  languages,  and 
their  popularity  rivals  that  of  the  best  mod- 
ern English  poetry.  He  died  March  24, 
1882,  but  has  left  an  imperishable  fame  as 
one  of  the  foremost  of  American  poets. 


PETER  COOPER  was  in  three  partic- 
ulars— as  a  capitalist  and  manufacturer, 
as  an  inventor,  and  as  a  philanthropist — 
connected  intimately  with  some  of  the  most 


88 


COMPENDIUyr   OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


important  and  useful  accessions  to  the  in- 
dustrial arts  of  America,  its  progress  in  in- 
vention and  the  promotion  of  educational 
and  benevolent  institutions  intended  for  the 
benefit  of  people  at  large.  He  was  born 
in  New  York  city,  February  12,  1791.  His 
life  was  one  of  labor  and  struggle,  as  it  was 
with  most  of  America's  successful  men.  In 
early  boyhood  he  commenced  to  help  his 
father  as  a  manufacturer  of  hats.  He  at- 
tended school  only  for  half  of  each  day  for 
a  single  year,  and  beyond  this  his  acquisi- 
tions were  all  his  own.  When  seventeen 
years  old  he  was  placed  with  John  Wood- 
ward to  learn  the  trade  of  coach-making  and 
served  his  apprenticeship  so  satisfactorily 
that  his  master  oPtred  to  set  him  up  in  busi- 
ness, but  this  he  declined  because  of  the 
debt  and  obligation  it  would  involve. 

The  foundation  of  Mr.  Cooper's  fortune 
was  laid  in  the  invention  of  an  improvement 
in  machines  for  shearing  cloth.  This  was 
largely  called  into  use  during  the  war  of 
i8i2  with  England  when  all  importations 
of  cloth  from  that  country  were  stopped. 
The  machines  lost  their  value,  however,  on 
the  declaration  of  peace.  Mr.  Cooper  then 
turned  his  shop  into  the  manufacture  of 
cabinet  ware.  He  afterwards  went  into  the 
grocery  business  in  New  York  and  finally  he 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  glue  and  isin- 
glass which  he  carried  on  for  more  than 
fifty  years.  In  1830  he  erected  iron  works 
in  Canton,  near  Baltimore.  Subsequently 
he  erected  a  rolling  and  a  wire  mill  in  the 
city  of  New  York,  in  which  he  first  success- 
full}'  applied  anthracite  to  the  puddling  of 
iron.  In  these  works,  he  was  the  first  to 
roll  wrought-iron  beams  for  fire-proof  build- 
ings. These  works  grew  to  be  very  exten- 
sive, including  mines,  blast  furnaces,  etc. 
While  in  Baltimore  Mr.  Cooper  built  in 
1830,  after  his  own   designs,  the   first  loco- 


motive engine  ever  constructed  on  this  con- 
tinent and  it  was  successfully  operated  on 
the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railroad.  He  also 
took  a  great  interest  and  invested  large  cap- 
ital in  the  extension  of  the  electric  telegraph, 
also  in  the  laying  of  the  first  Atlantic  cable; 
besides  interesting  himself  largely  in  the 
New  York  state  canals.  But  the  most 
cherished  object  of  Mr.  Cooper's  life  was 
the  establishment  of  an  institution  for  the 
instruction  of  the  industrial  classes,  which 
he  carried  out  on  a  magnificent  scale  in  New 
York  city,  where  the  "Cooper  Union" 
ranks  among  the  most  important  institu- 
tions. 

In  May,  1876,  the  Independent  party 
nominated  Mr.  Cooper  for  president  of  the 
United  States,  and  at  the  election  following 
he  received  nearly  100,000  votes.  His 
death  occurred  April  4,   1883. 


GENERAL  ROBERT  EDWARD  LEE, 
one  of  the  most  conspicuous  Confeder- 
ate generals  during  the  Civil  war,  and  one 
of  the  ablest  military  commanders  of  mod- 
ern times,  was  born  at  Stratford  House, 
Westmoreland  county,  Virginia,  January  19, 
1807.  In  1825  he  entered  the  West  Point 
academy  and  was  graduated  second  in  his 
class  in  1829,  and  attached  to  the  army  as 
second  lieutenant  of  engineers.  For  a 
number  of  years  he  was  thus  engaged  in  en- 
gineering work,  aiding  in  establishing  the 
boundary  line  between  Ohio  and  Michigan, 
and  superintended  various  river  and  harbor 
improvements,  becoming  captain  of  engi- 
neers in  1838.  He  first  saw  field  service  in 
the  Mexican  war,  and  under  General  Scott 
performed  valuable  and  efficient  service. 
In  that  brilliant  campaign  he  was  conspicu- 
ous for  professional  ability  as  well  as  gallant 
and  meritorious  conduct,  winning  in  quick 
succession  the  brevets  of  major,  lieutenant- 


COMPENDIUM   OF    BIOGRAPHY. 


m 


colonel,  and  colonel  for  his  part  in  the  bat- 
tles of  Cerro  Gordo,  Contreras,  Cherubusco, 
Chapultepec,  and  in  the  capture  of  the  city 
Mexico.  At  the  close  of  that  war  he  re- 
sumed his  engineering  work  in  connection 
with  defences  along  the  Atlantic  coast,  and 
from  1S52  to  1855  was  superintendent  of 
the  Military  Academy,  a  position  which  he 
gave  up  to  become  lieutenant-colonel  of  the 
Second  Cavalry.  For  several  years  there- 
after he  served  on  the  Texas  border,  but 
happening  to  be  near  Washington  at  the 
time  of  John  Brown's  raid,  October  17  to 
25,  1859,  Colonel  Lee  was  placed  in  com- 
mand of  the  Federal  forces  employed  in  its 
repression.  He  soon  returned  to  his  regi- 
ment in  Texas  where  he  remained  the 
greater  part  of  i860,  and  March  16,  1861, 
became  colonel  of  his  regiment  by  regular 
promotion.  Three  weeks  later,  April  25,  he 
resigned  upon  the  secession  of  Virginia, 
went  at  once  to  Richmond  and  tendered  his 
services  to  the  governor  of  that  state,  being 
by  acclamation  appointed  commander-in- 
chief  of  its  military  and  naval  forces,  with 
the  rank  of  major-general. 

He  at  once  set  to  work  to  organize  and 
develop  the  defensive  resources  of  his  state 
and  within  a  month  directed  the  occupation 
in  force  of  Manassas  Junction.  Meanwhile 
Virginia  having  entered  the  confederacy  and 
Richmond  become  the  capitol,  Lee  became 
one  of  the  foremost  of  its  military  officers 
and  was  closely  connected  with  Jefferson 
Davis  in  planning  the  moves  of  that  tragic 
time.  Lee  participated  in  many  of  the 
hardest  fought  battles  of  the  war  among 
which  were  Fair  Oaks,  White  Lake  Swamps, 
Cold  Harbor,  and  the  Chickahominy,  Ma- 
nassas, Cedar  Run,  Antietam,  Fredericks- 
burg, Chancellorsville,  Malvern  Hill,  Get- 
tysburg, the  battles  of  the  Wilderness  cam- 
paign, all  the  campaigns  about  Richmond, 


Petersburg,  Five  Forks,  and  others.  Lee's 
surrender  at  Appomatox  brought  the  war  to 
a  close.  It  is  said  of  General  Lee  that  but 
few  commanders  in  history  have  been  so 
quick  to  detect  the  purposes  of  an  opponent 
or  so  quick  to  act  upon  it.  Never  surpassed, 
if  ever  equaled,  in  the  art  of  winning  the 
passionate,  personal  love  and  admiration  of 
his  troops,  he  acquired  and  held  an  influ- 
ence over  his  army  to  the  very  last,  founded 
upon  a  supreme  trust  in  his  judgment,  pre- 
science and  skill,  coupled  with  his  cool, 
stable,  equable  courage.  A  great  writer  has 
said  of  him:  "As  regards  the  proper  meas- 
ure of  General  Lee's  rank  among  the  sol- 
diers of  history,  seeing  what  he  wrought 
with  such  resources  as  he  had,  under  all  the 
disadvantages  that  ever  attended  his  oper- 
ations, it  is  impossible  to  measure  what  he 
might  have  achieved  in  campaigns  and  bat- 
tles with  resources  at  his  own  disposition 
equal  to  those  against  which  he  invariably 
contended." 

Left  at  the  close  of  the  war  without  es- 
tate or  profession,  he  accepted  the  presi- 
dency of  Washington  College  at  Lexington, 
Virginia,  where  he  died  October  12,  1870. 


JOHN  JAY,  first  chief-justice  of  the 
United  States,  was  born  in  New  York, 
December  12,  1745.  He  took  up  the  study 
of  law,  graduated  from  King's  College 
(Columbia  College),  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  1768.  He  was  chosen  a  member 
of  the  committee  of  New  York  citizens  to 
protest  against  the  enforcement  by  the 
British  government  of  the  Boston  Port  Bill, 
was  elected  to  the  Continental  congress 
which  met  in  1774,  and  was  author  of  the 
addresses  to  the  people  of  Great  Britian  and 
of  Canada  adopted  by  that  and  the  suc- 
ceeding congress.  He  was  chosen  to  the 
provincial  assembly  of    his   own  state,  and 


40 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


resigned  from  the  Continental  congress  to 
serve  in  that  body,  wrote  most  of  its  public 
papers,  including  the  constitution  of  the  new 
state,  and  was  then  made  chief-justice.  He 
was  again  chosen  as  a  member  of  the  Con- 
tinental congress  in  177S,  and  became  presi- 
dent of  that  body.  He  was  sent  to  Spain 
as  minister  in  1780,  and  his  services  there 
resulted  in  substantial  and  moral  aid  for  the 
struggling  colonists.  Jay,  Franklin,  and 
Adams  negotiated  the  treaty  of  peace  with 
Great  Britain  in  1782,  and  Jay  was  ap- 
pointed secretary  of  foreign  affairs  in  1784, 
and  held  the  position  until  the  adoption  of 
the  Federal  constitution.  During  this  time 
he  had  contributed  strong  articles  to  the 
"Federalist"  in  favor  of  the  adoption  of 
the  constitution,  and  was  largely  instru- 
mental in  securing  the  ratification  of  that 
instrument  by  his  state.  He  was  appointed 
by  Washington  as  first  chief-justice  of  the 
United  States  in  1789.  In  this  high  capac- 
ity the  great  interstate  and  international 
questions  that  arose  for  immediate  settle- 
ment came  before  him  for  treatment. 

In  1794,  at  a  time  when  the  people  in 
gratitude  for  the  aid  that  France  had  ex- 
tended to  us,  were  clamoring  for  the  privilege 
of  going  to  the  aid  of  that  nation  in  her 
struggle  with  Great  Britain  and  her  own  op- 
pressors, John  Jay  was  sent  to  England  as 
special  envoy  to  negotiate  a  treaty  with 
that  power.  The  instrument  known  as 
"Jay's  Treaty  "  was  the  result,  and  while 
in  many  of  its  features  it  favored  our  nation, 
yet  the  neutrality  clause  in  it  so  angered  the 
masses  that  it  was  denounced  throughout 
the  entire  country,  and  John  Jay  was  burned 
in  effigy  in  the  city  of  New  York.  The 
treaty  was  finally  ratified  by  Washington, 
and  approved,  in  August,  1795.  Having 
been  elected  governor  of  his  state  for  three 
consecutive  terms,    he    then    retired   from 


active  life,  declining  an  appointment  as 
chief-justice  of  the  supreme  court,  made  by 
John  Adams  and  confirmed  by  the  senate. 
He  died  in  New  York  in  1829. 


PHILLIP  HENRY  SHERIDAN  was 
one  of  the  greatest  American  cavalry 
generals.  He  was  born  March  6,  1831,  at 
Somerset,  Perry  county,  Ohio,  and  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  United  States  Military  Acad- 
emy at  West  Point,  from  which  he  graduat- 
ed and  was  assigned  to  the  First  Infantry  as 
brevet  second  lieutenant  July  i,  1853. 
After  serving  in  Texas,  on  the  Pacific  coast, 
in  Washington  and  Oregon  territories  until 
the  fall  of  1 86 1,  he  was  recalled  to  the 
states  and  assigned  to  the  army  of  south- 
west Missouri  as  chief  quartermaster  from 
the  duties  of  which  he  was  soon  relieved. 
After  the  battle  of  Pea  Ridge,  he  was  quar- 
termaster in  the  Corinth  campaign,  and  on 
May  25  he  was  appointed  colonel  of  the 
Second  Michigan  Cavalry.  On  July  i,  in 
command  of  a  cavalry  brigade,  he  defeated 
a  superior  force  of  the  enemy  and  was  com- 
missioned brigadier-general  of  volunteers. 
General  Sheridan  was  then  transferred  to 
the  army  of  the  Ohio,  and  commanded  a 
division  in  the  battle  of  Perrysville  and  also 
did  good  service  at  the  battle  of  Murfrees- 
boro,  where  he  was  commissioned  major- 
general  of  volunteers.  He  fought  with 
great  gallantry  at  Chickamauga,  after  which 
Rosecrans  was  succeeded  by  General  Grant, 
under  whom  Sheridan  fought  the  battle  of 
Chattanooga  and  won  additional  renown. 
Upon  the  promotion  of  Grant  to  lieutenant- 
general,  he  applied  for  the  transfer  of  Gen- 
eral Sheridan  to  the  east,  and  appointed 
him  chief  of  cavalry  in  the  army  of  the 
Potomac.  During  the  campaign  of  1864 
the  cavalry  covered  the  front  and  flanks  ol 
the  infantry  until  May  8,  when  it  was  witT> 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


ti 


drawn  and  General  Sheridan  started  on  a 
raid  against  the  Confederate  lines  of  com- 
munication with  Richmond  and  on  May  25 
he  rejoined  the  army,  having  destroyed  con- 
siderable of  the  confederate  stores  and  de- 
feated their  cavalry  under  General  Stuart  at 
Yellow  Tavern.  The  outer  line  of  defences 
around  Richmond  were  taken,  but  the  sec- 
ond line  was  too  strong  to  be  taken  by  as- 
sault, and  accordingly  Sheridan  crossed  the 
Chickahominy  at  Meadow  Bridge,  reaching 
James  River  May  14,  and  thence  by  White 
House  and  Hanover  Court  House  back  to 
the  army.  The  cavalry  occupied  Cold 
Harbor  May  31,  which  they  held  until  the 
arrival  of  the  infantry.  On  General  Sheri- 
dan's next  raid  he  routed  Wade  Hampton's 
cavalry,  and  August  7  was  assigned  to  the 
command  of  the  Middle  Military  division, 
and  during  the  campaign  of  the  Shenan- 
doah Valley  he  performed  the  unheard  of 
feat  of  "  destroying  an  entire  army."  He 
was  appointed  brigadier-general  of  the  reg- 
ular army  and  for  his  victory  at  Cedar  Creek 
he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  major-gen- 
eral. General  Sheridan  started  out  Febru- 
ary 27,  1865,  with  ten  thousand  cavalry 
and  destroyed  the  Virginia  Central  Railroad 
and  the  James  River  Canal  and  joined  the 
army  again  at  Petersburg  March  27.  He 
commanded  at  the  battle  of  Five  Forks,  the 
decisive  victory  which  compelled  Lee  to 
evacuate  Petersburg.  On  April  9,  Lee  tried 
to  break  through  Sheridan's  dismounted 
command  but  when  the  General  drew  aside 
his  cavalry  and  disclosed  the  deep  lines  of 
infantry  the  attempt  was  abandoned.  Gen- 
eral Sheridan  mounted  his  men  and  was  about 
to  charge  when  a  white  flag  was  flown  at  the 
head  of  Lee's  column  which  betokened  the 
surrender  of  the  army.  After  the  war  Gen- 
eral Sheridan  had  command  of  the  army  of 
the  southwest,  of  the  gulf  and   the  depart- 


ment of  Missouri  until  he  was  appointed 
lieutenant-general  and  assigned  to  the  di- 
vision of  Missouri  with  headquarters  at  Chi- 
cago, and  assumed  supreme  command  of 
the  army  November  i,  18S3,  which  post  he 
held  until  his  death,  August  5,   1888. 


PHINEAS  T.  BARNUM,  the  greatest 
showman  the  world  has  ever  seen,  was 
born  at  Danbury,  Connecticut,  July  5,  18 10. 
At  the  age  of  eighteen  years  he  began  busi- 
ness on  his  own  account.  He  opened  a  re- 
tail fruit  and  confectionery  house,  including 
a  barrel  of  ale,  in  one  part  of  an  old  car- 
riage house.  He  spent  fifty  dollars  in  fitting 
up  the  store  and  the  stock  cost  him  seventy 
dollars.  Three  years  later  he  put  in  a  full 
stock,  such  as  is  generally  carried  in  a 
country  store,  and  the  same  year  he  started 
a  Democratic  newspaper,  known  as  the 
"Herald  of  Freedom."  He  soon  found 
himself  in  jail  under  a  sixty  days'  sentence 
for  libel.  During  the  winter  of  1834-5  he 
went  to  New  York  and  began  soliciting  busi- 
ness for  several  Chatham  street  houses.  In 
1835  he  embarked  in  the  show  business  at 
Niblo's  Garden,  having  purchased  the  cele- 
brated "  Joice  Heth"  for  one  thousand  dol- 
lars. He  afterward  engaged  the  celebrated 
athlete,  Sig.  Vivalia,  and  Barnum  made  his 
"  first  appearance  on  any  stage,"  acting  as  a 
"super"  to  Sig.  Vivalia  on  his  opening 
night.  He  became  ticket  seller,  secretary 
and  treasurer  of  Aaron  Turner's  circus  in 
1S36  and  traveled  with  it  about  the  country. 
His  next  venture  was  the  purchase  of  a 
steamboat  on  the  Mississippi,  and  engaged 
a  theatrical  company  to  show  in  the  princi- 
pal towns  along  that  river.  In  1840  he 
opened  Vaux  Hall  Garden,  New  York,  with 
variety  performances,  and  introduced  the 
celebrated  jig  dancer,  John  Diamond,  to  the 
public.      The   next  year  he  quit  the  show 


42 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


business  and  settled  down  in  New  York  as 
agent  of  Sear's  Pictorial  Illustration  of  the 
Bible,  but  a  few  months  later  again  leased 
\'aux  Hall.  In  September  of  the  same  year 
he  again  left  the  business,  and  became 
' '  puff  "  writer  for  the  Bowery  Amphitlieater. 
In  December  he  bought  the  Scudder  Museum, 
and  a  year  later  introduced  the  celebrated 
Tom  Thumb  to  the  world,  taking  him  to 
England  in  1S44,  and  remaining  there  three 
years.  He  then  returned  to  New  York,  and 
in  1849,  through  James  Hall  Wilson,  he  en- 
gaged the  "Swedish  Nightingale,"  Jenny 
Lind,  to  come  to  this  country  and  make  a 
tour  under  his  management.  He  also  had 
sent  the  Swiss  Bell  Ringers  to  America  in 
1844.  He  became  owner  of  the  Baltimore 
Museum  and  the  Lyceum  and  Museum  at 
Philadelphia.  In  1850  he  brought  a  dozen 
elephants  from  Ceylon  to  make  a  tour  of  this 
country,  and  in  185 1  sent  the  "  Bateman 
Children"  to  London.  During  185 1  and 
1852  he  traveled  as  a  temperance  lecturer, 
and  became  president  of  a  bank  at  Pequon- 
nock,  Connecticut.  In  1852  he  started  a 
weekly  pictorial  paper  known  as  the  "  Illus- 
trated News."  In  1865  his  Museum  was 
destroyed  by  fire,  and  he  inmiediately  leased 
the  Winter  Garden  Theatre,  where  he  played 
his  company  until  he  opened  his  own 
Museum.  This  was  destroyed  by  fire  in 
1868,  and  he  then  purchased  an  interest  in 
the  George  Wood  Museum. 

After  dipping  into  politics  to  some  ex- 
tent, he  began  his  career  as  a  really  great 
showman  in  1871.  Three  years  later  he 
erected  an  immense  circular  building  in  New 
York,  in  which  he  produced  his  panoramas. 
He  has  frequently  appeared  as  a  lecturer, 
some  times  on  temperance,  and  some  times 
on  other  topics,  among  which  were  "Hum- 
bugs of  the  World,"  "Struggles  and 
Triumphs,"  etc.      He  was  owner  of  the  im- 


mense menagerie  and  circus  known  as  the 
"Greatest  Show  on  Earth,"  and  his  fame 
extended  throughout  Europe  and  America. 
He  died  in  1891. 


JAMES  MADISON,  the  fourth  president 
of  the  United  States,  1809-17,  was 
born  at  Port  Conway,  Prince  George  coun- 
ty, Virginia,  March  16,  1751.  He  was  the 
son  of  a  wealthy  planter,  who  lived  on  a  fine 
estate  called  "  Montpelier, "  which  was  but 
twenty-five  miles  from  Monticello,  the  home 
of  Thomas  Jefferson.  Mr.  Madison  was  the 
eldest  of  a  family  of  seven  children,  all  of 
whom  attained  maturity.  He  received  his 
early  education  at  home  under  a  private 
tutor,  and  consecrated  himself  with  unusual 
vigor  to  study.  At  a  very  early  age  he  was 
a  proficient  scholar  in  Latin,  Greek,  French 
and  Spanish,  and  in  1769  he  entered  Prince- 
ton College,  New  Jersey.  He  graduated  in 
1 77 1,  but  remained  for  several  months  after 
his  graduation  to  pursue  a  course  of  study 
under  the  guidance  of  Dr.  Witherspoon. 
He  permanently  injured  his  health  at  this 
time  and  returned  to  Virginia  in  1772,  and 
for  two  years  he  was  immersed  in  the  study 
of  law,  and  at  the  same  time  made  extend- 
ed researches  in  theology,  general  literature, 
and  philosophical  studies.  He  then  directed 
his  full  attention  to  the  impending  struggle 
of  the  colonies  for  independence,  and  also 
took  a  prominent  part  in  the  religious  con- 
troversy at  that  time  regarding  so  called 
persecution  of  other  religious  denominations 
by  the  Church  of  England.  Mr.  Madison 
was  elected  to  the  Virginia  assembly  in  1776 
and  in  November,  1777,  he  was  chosen 
a  member  of  the  council  of  state.  He  took 
his  seat  in  the  continental  congress  in 
March,  1780.  He  was  made  chairman  of 
the  committee  on  foreign  relations,  and 
drafted  an  able   memoranda  for  the  use  of 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


43 


the  American  ministers  to  the  French  and 
Spanish  governments,  that  estabHshed  the 
claims  of  the  repubhc  to  the  territories  be- 
tween the  Alleghany  Mountains  and  the 
Mississippi  River.  He  acted  as  chairman  of 
the  ways  and  means  committee  in  1783  and 
as  a  member  of  the  Virginia  legislature  in 
1784-86  he  rendered  important  services  to 
the  state.  Mr.  Madison  represented  Vir- 
giana  in  the  national  constitutional  conven- 
tion at  Philadelphia  in  1787,  and  was  one  of 
the  chief  framers  of  the  constitution.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  first  four  congresses, 
1789-97,  and  gradually  became  identified 
with  the  anti-federalist  or  republican  party 
of  which  he  eventually  became  the  leader. 
He  remained  in  private  life  during  the  ad- 
ministration of  John  Adams,  and  was  secre- 
tary of  state  under  President  Jefferson.  Mr. 
Madison  administered  the  affairs  of  that 
post  with  such  great  ability  that  he  was  the 
natural  successor  of  the  chief  magistrate 
and  was  chosen  president  by  an  electoral 
vote  of  122  to  53.  He  was  inaugurated 
March  4,  1809,  at  that  critical  period  incur 
history  when  the  feelings  of  the  people  were 
embittered  with  those  of  England,  and  his 
first  term  was  passed  in  diplomatic  quarrels, 
which  finally  resulted  in  the  declaration  of 
war,  June  18,  1812.  In  the  autumn  of  that 
year  President  Madison  was  re-elected  by  a 
vote  of  128  to  89,  and  conducted  the  war 
for  three  years  with  varying  success  and 
defeat  in  Canada,  by  glorious  victories  at 
sea,  and  by  the  battle  of  New  Orleans  that 
was  fought  after  the  treaty  of  peace  had 
been  signed  at  Ghent,  December  24,  1814. 
During  this  war  the  national  capitol  at 
Washington  was  burned,  and  many  valuable 
papers  were  destroyed,  but  the  declaration 
of  independence  was  saved  to  the  country 
by  the  bravery  and  courage  of  Mr.  Madi- 
son's illustrious  wife.     A  commercial  treaty 


was  negotiated  with  Great  Britain  in  1S15, 
and  in  April,  18 16,  a  national  bank  was  in- 
corporated by  congress.  Mr.  Madison  was 
succeeded,  March  4,  1817,  by  James  Monroe, 
and  retired  into  private  life  on  his  estate  at 
Montpelier,    where  he  died  June  28,  1836. 


FREDERICK  DOUGLASS,  a  noted 
American  character,  was  a  protege  of 
the  great  abolitionist,  William  Lloyd  Garri- 
son, by  whom  he  was  aided  in  gaining  his 
education.  Mr.  Douglass  was  born  in  Tuck- 
ahoe  county,  Maryland,  in  February,  18 17, 
his  mother  being  a  negro  woman  and  his 
father  a  white  man.  He  was  born  in  slav- 
ery and  belonged  to  a  man  by  the  name  of 
Lloyd,  under  which  name  he  went  until  he 
ran  away  from  his  master  and  changed  it  to 
Douglass.  At  the  age  of  ten  years  he  was 
sent  to  Baltimore  where  he  learned  to  read 
and  write,  and  later  his  owner  allowed  him 
to  hire  out  his  own  time  for  three  dollars  a 
week  in  a  shipyard.  In  September,  1838, 
he  fled  from  Baltimore  and  made  his  way  to 
New  York,  and  from  thence  went  to  New 
Bedford,  Massachusetts.  Here  he  was  mar- 
ried and  supported  him.self  and  family  by 
working  at  the  wharves  and  in  various  work- 
shops. In  the  summer  of  i84r  he  attended 
ah  anti-slavery  convention  at  Nantucket, 
and  made  a  speech  which  was  so  well  re- 
ceived that  he  was  offered  the  agency  of  the 
Massachusetts  Anti-slavery  Society.  In  this 
capacity  he  traveled  through  the  New  En- 
gland states,  and  about  the  same  time  he 
published  his  first  book  called  "Narrative 
of  my  Experience  in  Slavery. "  Mr.  Doug- 
lass went  to  England  in  1845  and  lectured 
on  slavery  to  large  and  enthusiastic  audi- 
ences in  all  the  large  towns  of  the  country, 
and  his  friends  made  up  a  purse  of  seven 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars  and  purchased  his 
freedom  in  due  form  of  law. 


44 


COMPENDIUM   OJ''   JJIOGRAI'Hr. 


Mr.  Douglass  applied  hirnself  to  the  de- 
livery of  lyceuin  lectures  after  the  abolition 
of  slavery,  and  in  iSjohe  became  the  editor 
of  the  "  New  National  Era  "  in  Washington. 
In  1 87 1  he  was  appointed  assistant  secretary 
of  the  commission  to  San  Domingo  and  on 
his  return  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  ter- 
ritorial council  for  the  District  of  Colorado 
by  President  Grant.  He  was  elected  presi- 
dential elector-at-large  for  the  state  of  New 
York  and  was  appointed  to  carry  the  elect- 
oral vote  to  Washington.  He  was  also 
United  States  marshal  for  the  District  of 
Columbia  in  1876^  and  later  was  recorder 
of  deeds  for  the  same,  from  which  position 
he  was  removed  by  President  Cleveland  in 
1886.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  visited 
England  to  inform  the  friends  that  he  had 
made  while  there,  of  the  progress  of  the 
colored  race  in  America,  and  on  his  return 
he  was  appointed  minister  to  Hayti,  by 
President  Harrison  in  1889.  His  career  as 
a  benefactor  of  his  race  was  closed  by  his 
death  in  February,   1895,  near  Washington. 


WILLIAM  CULLEN  BRYANT.— The 
ear  for  rhythm  and  the  talent  for 
graceful  expression  are  the  gifts  of  nature, 
and  they  were  plentifully  endowed  on  the 
above  named  poet.  The  principal  charac- 
teristic of  his  poetry  is  the  thoughtfulness 
and  intellectual  process  by  which  his  ideas 
ripened  in  his  mind,  as  all  his  poems  are 
bright,  clear  and  sweet.  Mr.  Bryant  was 
born  November  3,  1794,  at  Cummington, 
Hampshire  county,  Massachusetts,  and  was 
educated  at  Williams  College,  from  which 
he  graduated,  having  entered  it  in  18 10. 
He  took  up  the  study  of  law,  and  in  181  5 
was  admitted  to  the  bar,  but  after  practicing 
successfully  for  ten  years  at  Plainfield  and 
Great  Barrington,  he  removed  to  New  York 
in    1825.     The    following  year  he  became 


the  editor  of  the  "Evening  Post,"  which 
he  edited  until  his  death,  and  under  his  di- 
rection this  paper  maintained,  through  a 
long  series  of  years,  a  high  standing  by  the 
boldness  of  its  protests  against  slavery  be- 
fore the  war,  by  its  vigorous  support  of  the 
government  during  the  war,  and  by  the 
fidelity  and  ability  of  its  advocacy  of  the 
Democratic  freedom  in  trade.  Mr.  Bry- 
ant visited  Europe  in  1S34,  1845,  1S49  and 
1S57,  and  presented  to  the  literary  world 
the  fruit  of  his  travels  in  the  series  of  "Let- 
ters of  a  Traveler,"  and  "Letters  from 
Spain  and  Other  Countries."  In  the  world 
of  literature  he  is  known  chiefly  as  a  poet, 
and  here  Mr.  Bryant's  name  is  illustrious, 
both  at  home  and  abroad.  He  contributed 
verses  to  the  "Country  Gazette  "  before  he 
was  ten  years  of  age,  and  at  the  age  of  nine- 
teen he  wrote  "  Thanatopsis,"  the  most  im- 
pressive and  widely  known  of  his  poems. 
The  later  outgrowth  of  his  genius  was  his 
translation  of  Homer's  "Iliad"  in  1870 
and  the  "Odyssey"  in  1871.  He  also 
made  several  speeches  and  addresses  which 
have  been  collected  in  a  comprehensive  vol- 
ume called  "  Orations  and  Addresses."  He 
was  honored  in  many  ways  by  his  fellow 
citizens,  who  delighted  to  pay  tributes  of 
respect  to  his  literary  eminence,  the  breadth 
of  his  public  spirit,  the  faithfulness  of  his 
service,  and  the  worth  of  his  private  char- 
acter. Mr.  Bryant  died  in  New  York  City 
June  12,  1878. 


WILLIAM  HENRY  SEWARD,  the 
secretary  of  state  during  one  of  the 
most  critical  times  in  the  history  of  our 
country,  and  the  right  hand  man  of  Presi- 
dent Lincoln,  ranks  among  the  greatest 
statesmen  America  has  produced.  Mr. 
Seward  was  born  May  16,  1801,  at  Florida, 
Orange  county,    New  York,   and  with  such 


COMPENDIUM  OF    BIOGBAPHT. 


47 


facilities  as  the  place  afforded  he  fitted  him- 
self for  a  college  course.  He  attended 
Union  College  at  Schenectady,  New  York, 
at  the  age  of  fifteen,  and  took  his  degree  in 
the  regular  course,  with  signs  of  promise  in 
1820,  after  which  he  diligently  addressed 
himself  to  the  study  of  law  under  competent 
instructors,  and  started  in  the  practice  of 
his  profession  in  1823. 

Mr.  Seward  entered  the  political  arena 
and  in  1828  we  find  him  presiding  over  a 
convention  in  New  York,  its  purpose  being 
the  nomination  of  John  Quincy  Adams  for  a 
second  term.  He  was  married  in  1824  and 
in  1830  was  elected  to  the  state  senate. 
From  1838  lo  1842  he  was  governor  of  the 
state  of  New  York.  Mr.  Seward's  next  im- 
portant position  was  that  of  United  States 
senator  from  New  York. 

W.  H.  Seward  was  chosen  by  President 
Lincoln  to  fill  the  important  office  of  the 
secretary  of  state,  and  by  his  firmness  and 
diplomacy  in  the  face  of  difficulties,  he  aided 
in  piloting  the  Union  through  that  period  of 
strife,  and  won  an  everlasting  fame.  This 
great  statesman  died  at  Auburn,  New  York, 
October  10,  1872,  in  the  seventy-second 
year  of  his  eventful  life. 


JOSEPH  JEFFERSON,  a  name  as  dear 
as  it  is  familiar  to  the  theater-going 
world  in  America,  suggests  first  of  all  a  fun- 
loving,  drink-loving,  mellow  voiced,  good- 
natured  Dutchman,  and  the  name  of  "Rip 
Van  Winkle  "  suggests  the  pleasant  features 
of  Joe  Jefferson,  so  intimately  are  play  and 
player  associated  in  the  minds  of  those  who 
have  had  the  good  fortune  to  shed  tears  of 
laughter  and  sympathy  as  a  tribute  to  the 
greatness  of  his  art.  Joseph  Jefferson  was 
born  in  Philadelphia,  February  20,  1829. 
His  genius  was  an   inheritance,    if   there  be 

such,     as    his    great-grandfather,     Thomas 
3 


Jefferson,  was  a  manager  and  actor  in  Kng 
land.  His  grandfather,  Joseph  Jefferson, 
was  the  most  popular  comedian  of  the  New 
York  stage  in  his  time,  and  his  father,  Jos- 
eph Jefferson,  the  second,  was  a  good  actor 
also,  but  the  third  Joseph  Jefferson  out- 
shone them  all. 

At  the  age  of  three  years  Joseph  Jeffer- 
son came  on  the  stage  as  the  child  in  "Pi- 
zarro,"  and  his  training  was  upon  the  stage 
from  childhood.  Later  on  he  lived  and 
acted  in  Chicago,  Mobile,  and  Texas.  After 
repeated  misfortunes  he  returned  to  New 
Orleans  from  Texas,  and  his  brother-in-law, 
Charles  Burke,  gave  him  money  to  reach 
Philadelphia,  where  he  joined  the  Burton 
theater  company.  Here  his  genius  soon  as- 
serted itself,  and  his  future  became  promis- 
ing and  brilliant.  His  engagements  through- 
out the  United  States  and  Australia  were 
generally  successful,  and  when  he  went  to 
England  in  1865  Mr.  Boucicault  consented 
to  make  some  important  changes  in  his 
dramatization  of  Irving's  story  of  Rip  Van 
Winkle,  and  Mr.  Jefferson  at  once  placed 
it  in  the  front  rank  as  a  comedy.  He  made 
a  fortune  out  of  it,  and  played  nothing  else 
for  many  years.  In  later  years,  however, 
Mr.  Jefferson  acquitted  himself  of  the  charge 
of  being  a  one-part  actor,  and  the  parts  of 
"Bob  Acres,"  "Caleb  Plummer"  and 
"Golightly  "  all  testify  to  the  versatility  of 
his  genius. 

GEORGE  BRINTON  McCLELLAN, 
a  noted  American  general,  was  born 
in  Philadelphia,  December  3,  1826.  He 
graduated  from  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  in  1846  from  West  Point,  and 
was  breveted  second  lieutenant  of  engineers. 
He  was  with  Scott  in  the  Mexican  war, 
taking  part  in  all  the  engagements  from 
Vera  Cruz  to  the  final  capture  of  the  Mexi- 


48 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


can  capital,  and  was  breveted  first  lieuten- 
ant and  captain  for  gallantry  displayed  on 
various  occasions.  In  1S57  he  resigned  his 
commission  and  accepted  the  position  of 
chief  engineer  in  the  construction  of  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroad,  and  became  presi- 
dent of  the  St.  Louis  &  Cincinnati  Railroad 
Company.  He  was  commissioned  major- 
general  by  the  state  of  Ohio  in  1861, 
placed  in  command  of  the  department  of 
the  Ohio,  and  organized  the  first  volunteers 
called  for  from  that  state.  In  May  he  was 
appointed  major-general  in  the  United 
States  army,  and  ordered  to  disperse  the 
confederates  overrunning  West  Virginia. 
He  accomplished  this  task  promptly,  and 
received  the  thanks  of  congress.  After  the 
first  disaster  at  Bull  Run  he  was  placed 
in  command  of  the  department  of  Wash- 
ington, and  a  few  weeks  later  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac.  Upon  retirement 
of  General  Scott  the  command  of  the  en- 
tire United  States  army  devolved  upon  Mc- 
Clellan,  but  he  was  relieved  of  it  within  a 
few  months.  In  March,  1862,  after  elabor- 
ate preparation,  he  moved  upon  Manassas, 
only  to  find  it  deserted  by  the  Confederate 
army,  which  had  been  withdrawn  to  im- 
pregnable defenses  prepared  nearer  Rich- 
mond. He  then  embarked  his  armies  for 
Fortress  Monroe  and  after  a  long  delay  at 
Yorktown,  began  the  disastrous  Peninsular 
campaign,  which  resulted  in  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac  being  cooped  up  on  the  James 
River  below  Richmond.  His  forces  were 
then  called  to  the  support  of  General  Pope, 
near  Washington,  and  he  was  left  without  an 
army.  After  Pope's  defeat  McCIellan  was 
placed  in  command  of  the  troops  for  the  de- 
fense of  the  capital,  and  after  a  thorough  or- 
ganization he  followed  Lee  into  Maryland 
and  the  battles  of  Antietam  and  South  Moun- 
tain   ensued.     The    delay    which    followed 


caused  general  dissatisfaction,  and  he  was  re- 
lieved of  his  command, and  retired  from  active 
service. 

In  1864  McCIellan  was  nominated  for 
the  presidency  by  the  Democrats,  and  over- 
whelmingly defeated  by  Lincoln,  three 
states  only  casting  their  electoral  votes  for 
McCIellan.  On  election  day  he  resigned 
his  commission  and  a  few  months  later  went 
to  Europe  where  he  spent  several  years. 
He  wrote  a  number  of  military  te.xt- books 
and  reports.  His  death  occurred  October 
29.  1885.  

SAMUEL  J.  TILDEN.— Among  the  great 
statesmen  whose  names  adorn  the  pages 
of  American  history  may  be  found  that  of 
the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Known  as  a 
lawyer  of  highest  ability,  his  greatest  claim 
to  immortality  will  ever  lie  in  his  successful 
battle  against  the  corrupt  rings  of  his  native 
state  and  the  elevation  of  the  standard  of 
official  life. 

Samuel  J.  Tilden  was  born  in  New  Leb- 
anon, New  York,  February  9,  18 14.  He 
pursued  his  academic  studies  at  Yale  Col- 
lege and  the  University  of  New  York,  tak- 
ing the  course  of  law  at  the  latter.  He 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1841.  His  rare 
ability  as  a  thinker  and  writer  upon  public 
topics  attracted  the  attention  of  President 
Van  Buren,  of  whose  policy  and  adminis- 
tration he  became  an  active  and  efficient 
champion.  He  made  for  himself  a  high 
place  in  his  profession  and  amassed  quite  a 
fortune  as  the  result  of  his  industry  and 
judgment.  During  the  days  of  his  greatest 
professional  labor  he  was  ever  one  of  the 
leaders  and  trusted  counsellors  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
conventions  to  revise  the  state  constitution, 
both  in  1846  and  1867,  and  served  two 
terms  in  the  lower  branch  of  the  state  leg- 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


49 


islature.  He  was  one  of  the  controlling 
spirits  in  the  overthrow  of  the  notorious 
"Tweed  ring"  and  the  reformation  of  the 
government  of  the  city  of  New  York.  In 
1874  he  was  elected  governor  of  the  state 
of  New  York.  While  in  this  position  he 
assailed  corruption  in  high  places,  success- 
fully battling  with  the  iniquitous  "canal 
ring  "  and  crushed  its  sway  over  all  depart- 
ments of  the  government.  Recognizing  his 
character  and  executive  ability  Mr.  Tilden 
was  nominated  for  president  by  the  na- 
tional Democratic  convention  in  1876.  At 
the  election  he  received  a  much  larger  popu- 
lar vote  than  his  opponent,  and  184  uncon- 
tested electoral  votes.  There  being  some 
electoral  votes  contested,  a  commission  ap- 
pointed by  congress  decided  in  favor  of  the 
Republican  electors  and  Mr.  Hayes,  the  can- 
didate of  that  party  was  declared  elected. 
In  1880,  the  Democratic  party,  feeling  that 
Mr.  Tilden  had  been  lawfully  elected  to  the 
presidency  tendered  the  nomination  for  the 
same  office  to  Mr.  Tilden,  but  he  declined, 
retiring  from  all  public  functions,  owing  to 
failing  health.  He  died  August  4,  1886. 
By  will  he  bequeathed  several  millions  of 
dollars  toward  the  founding  of  public  libra- 
ries in  New  York  City,  Yonkers,  etc. 


NOAH  WEBSTER.— As  a  scholar,  law- 
yer, author  and  journalist,  there  is  no 
one  who  stands  on  a  higher  plane,  or  whose 
reputation  is  better  established  than  the 
honore'd  gentleman  whose  name  heads  this 
sketch.  He  was  a  native  of  West  Hartford, 
Connecticut,  and  was  born  October  17, 
1758.  He  came  of  an  old  New  England 
family,  his  mother  being  a  descendant  of 
Governor  William  Bradford,  of  the  Ply- 
mouth colony.  After  acquiring  a  solid  edu- 
cation in  early  life  Dr.  Webster  entered 
Yale  College,  from  which   he  graduated  in 


1778.  For  a  while  he  taught  school  in 
Hartford,  at  the  same  time  studying  law, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1781.  He 
taught  a  classical  school  at  Goshen,  Orange 
county.  New  York,  in  1782-83,  and  while 
there  prepared  his  spelling  book,  grammar 
and  reader,  which  was  issued  under  the  title 
of  "A  Grammatical  Institute  of  the  English 
Language  ,"  in  three  parts, — so  successful  a 
work  that  up  to  1876  something  like  forty 
million  of  the  spelling  books  had  been 
sold.  In  1786  he  delivered  a  course  of  lec- 
tures on  the  English  language  in  the  seaboard 
cities  and  the  following  year  taught  an 
academy  at  Philadelphia.  From  December 
17,  1787,  until  November,  1788,  he  edited 
the  "American  Magazine,"  a  periodical  that 
proved  unsuccessful.  In  1789-93  he  prac- 
ticed law  in  Hartford  having  in  the  former 
year  married  the  daughter  of  William  Green- 
leaf,  of  Boston.  He  returned  to  New  York 
and  November,  1793,  founded  a  daily  paper, 
the  "Minerva,"  to  which  was  soon  added  a 
semi-weekly  edition  under  the  name  of  the 
"  Herald.  "  The  former  is  still  in  existence 
under  the  name  of  the  "Commercial  Adver- 
tiser." In  this  paper,  over  the  signature  of 
' '  Curtius , "  he  published  a  lengthy  and  schol- 
arly defense  of   "  John  Jay's  treaty.  " 

In  1798,  Dr.  Webster  moved  to  New 
Haven  and  in  1807  commenced  the  prepar- 
ation of  his  great  work,  the  "American  Dic- 
tionary of  the  English  Language,"  which 
was  not  completed  and  published  until  1828. 
He  made  his  home  in  Amherst,  Massachu- 
setts, for  the  ten  years  succeeding  1812,  and 
was  instrumental  in  the  establishment  of 
Amherst  College,  of  which  institution  he  was 
the  first  president  of  the  board  of  trustees. 
During  1 824-5  he  resided  in  Europe,  pursu- 
ing his  philological  studies  in  Paris.  He 
completed  his  dictionary  from  the  libraries 
of  Cambridge  University  in   1825,  and  de- 


50 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


voted  his  leisure  for  the  remainder  of  his 
hfe  to  the  revision  of  that  and  his  school 
books. 

Dr.  Webster  was  a  member  of  the  legis- 
latures of  both  Connecticut  and  Massachu- 
setts, was  judge  of  one  of  the  courts  of  the 
former  state  and  was  identified  with  nearly 
all  the  literary  and  scientific  societies  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Amherst  College.  He  died 
in  New  Haven,  May  28,  1843. 

Among  the  more  prominent  works  ema- 
nating from  the  fecund  pen  of  Dr.  Noah 
Webster  besides  those  mentioned  above  are 
the  following:  "Sketches  of  American 
Policy,"  "  Winthrop's  Journal,"  "  A  Brief 
History  of  Epidemics,"  "  Rights  of  Neutral 
Nations  in  time  of  War,"  "A  Philosophical 
and  Practical  Grammar  of  the  English  Lan- 
guage," "Dissertations  on  the  English 
Language,"  "A  Collection  of  Essays," 
"The  Revolution  in  France,"  "Political 
Progress  of  Britain,"  "Origin,  History,  and 
Connection  of  the  Languages  of  Western 
Asia  and  of  Europe,"  and  many  others. 


WILLIAM  LLOYD  GARRISON,  the 
great  anti-slavery  pioneer  and  leader, 
was  born  in  Newburyport,  Massachusetts, 
December  12,  1804.  He  was  apprenticed 
to  the  printing  business,  and  in  1828  was  in- 
duced to  take  charge  of  the  "Journal  of  the 
Times"  at  Bennington,  Vermont.  While 
supporting  John  Quincy  Adams  for  the  presi- 
dency he  took  occasion  in  that  paper  to  give 
expression  of  his  views  on  slavery.  These 
articles  attracted  notice,  and  a  Quaker 
named  Lundy,  editor  of  the  "Genius  of 
Emancipation,"  published  in  Baltimore,  in- 
duced him  to  enter  a  partnership  with  him 
for  the  conduct  of  his  paper.  It  soon 
transpired  that  the  views  of  the  partners 
were  not  in  harmony,  Lundy  favoring  grad- 
ual emancipation,    while    Garrison  favored 


immediate  freedom.  In  1850  Mr.  Garrison 
was  thrown  into  prison  for  libel,  not  being 
able  to  pay  a  fine  of  fifty  dollars  and  costs. 
In  his  cell  he  wrote  a  number  of  poems 
which  stirred  the  entire  north,  and  a  mer- 
chant, Mr.  Tappan,  of  New  York,  paid  his 
fine  and  liberated  him,  after  seven  weeks  of 
confinement.  He  at  once  began  a  lecture 
tour  of  the  northern  cities,  denouncing 
slavery  as  a  sin  before  God,  and  demanding 
its  immediate  abolition  in  the  name  of  re- 
ligion and  humanity.  He  opposed  the  col- 
onization scheme  of  President  Monroe  and 
other  leaders,  and  declared  the  right  of 
every  slave  to  immediate  freedom. 

In  1 83 1  he  formed  a  partnership  with 
Isaac  Knapp,  and  began  the  publication  of 
the  "Liberator"  at  Boston.  The  "imme- 
diate abolition  "  idea  began  to  gather  power 
in  the  north,  while  the  south  became 
alarmed  at  the  bold  utterance  of  this  jour- 
nal. The  mayor  of  Boston  was  besought 
by  southern  influence  to  interfere,  and  upon 
investigation,  reported  upon  the  insignifi- 
cance, obscurity,  and  poverty  of  the  editor 
and  his  staff,  which  report  was  widely 
published  throughout  the  country.  Re- 
wards were  offered  by  the  southern  states 
for  his  arrest  and  conviction.  Later  Garri- 
son brought  from  England,  where  an  eman- 
cipation measure  had  just  been  passed, 
some  of  the  great  advocates  to  work  for  the 
cause  in  this  country.  In  1835  a  mob 
broke  into  his  office,  broke  up  a  meeting  of 
women,  dragged  Garrison  through  the  street 
with  a  rope  around  his  body,  and  his  life 
was  saved  only  by  the  interference  of  the 
police,  who  lodged  him  in  jail.  Garrison 
declined  to  sit  in  the  World's  Anti-Slavery 
convention  at  London  in  1840,  because 
that  body  had  refused  women  representa- 
tion. He  opposed  the  formation  of  a  po- 
litical party  with  emancipation  as  its  basis. 


COMPTiNDIUM   OF    BIOGRAPHY. 


51 


He  favored  a  dissolution  of  the  union,  and 
declared  the  constitution  which  bound  the 
free  states  to  the  slave  states  "  A  covenant 
with  death  and  an  agreement  with  hell." 
In  1843  he  became  president  of  the  Amer- 
ican Anti-Slavery  society,  which  position  he 
held  until  1865,  when  slavery  was  no  more. 
During  all  this  time  the  "  Liberator  "  had 
continued  to  promulgate  anti-slavery  doc- 
trines, but  in  1865  Garrison  resigned  his 
position,  and  declared  his  work  was  com- 
pleted.    He  died  May  24,  1879. 


JOHN  BROWN  ("Brown  of  Ossawato- 
mie"),  a  noted  character  in  American 
history,  wasbornatTorrington,  Connecticut, 
May  9,  1800.  In  his  childhood  he  removed 
to  Ohio,  where  he  learned  the  tanner's 
trade.  He  married  there,  and  in  1855  set- 
tled in  Kansas.  He  lived  at  the  village  of 
Ossawatomie  in  that  state,  and  there  began 
his  fight  against  slavery.  He  advocated  im- 
mediate emancipation,  and  held  that  the 
negroes  of  the  slave  states  merely  waited 
for  a  leader  in  an  insurrection  that  would  re- 
sult in  their  freedom.  He  attended  the 
convention  called  at  Chatham,  Canada,  in 
1859,  and  was  the  leading  spirit  in  organiz- 
ing a  raid  upon  the  United  States  arsenal  at 
Harper's  Ferry,  Virginia.  His  plans  were 
well  laid,  and  carried  out  in  great  secrecy. 
He  rented  a  farm  house  near  Harper's  Ferry 
in  the  summer  of  1859,  and  on  October 
i6th  of  that  year,  with  about  twenty  follow- 
ers, he  surprised  and  captured  the  United 
States  arsenal,  with  all  its  supplies  and 
arms.  To  his  surprise,  the  negroes  did  not 
come  to  his  support,  and  the  next  day  he 
was  attacked  by  the  Virginia  state  militia, 
wounded  and  captured.  He  was  tried  in 
the  courts  of  the  state,  convicted,  and  was 
hanged  at  Charlestown,  December  2,  1859. 
The  raid  and  its   results   had  a  tremendous 


effect,  and  hastened  the  culmination  of  the 
troubles  between  the  north  and  south.  The 
south  had  the  advantage  in  discussing  this 
event,  claiming  that  the  sentiment  which 
inspired  this  act  of  violence  was  shared  by 
the  anti-slavery  element  of  the  country. 


EDWIN  BOOTH  had  no  peer  upon  the 
American  stage  during  his  long  career 
as  a  star  actor.  He  was  the  son  of  a  famous 
actor,  Junius  Brutus  Booth,  and  was  born 
in  1833  at  his  father's  home  at  Belair,  near 
Baltimore.  At  the  age  of  si.xte^n  he  made  his 
first  appearance  on  the  stage,  at  the  Boston 
Museum,  in  a  minor  part  in  "Richard  III." 
It  was  while  playing  in  California  in  1851 
that  an  eminent  critic  called  general  atten- 
tion to  the  young  actor's  unusual  talent. 
However,  it  was  not  until  1863,  at  the  great 
Shakspearian  revival  at  the  Winter  Garden 
Theatre,  New  York,  that  the  brilliancy  of 
his  career  began.  His  Hamlet  held  the 
boards  for  100  nights  in  succession,  and 
from  that  time  forth  Booth's  reputation  was 
established.  In  1868  he  opened  his  own 
theatre  (Booth's  Theater)  in  New  York. 
Mr.  Booth  never  succeeded  as  a  manager, 
however,  but  as  an  actor  he  was  undoubted- 
ly the  most  popular  man  on  the  American 
stage,  and  perhaps  the  most  eminent  one  in 
the  world.  In  England  he  also  won  the 
greatest  applause. 

Mr.  Booth's  work  was  confined  mostly 
to  Shakspearean  roles,  and  his  art  was 
characterized  by  intellectual  acuteness, 
fervor,  and  poetic  feeling.  His  Hamlet, 
Richard  II,  Richard  III,  and  Richelieu  gave 
play  to  his  greatest  powers.  In  1865, 
when  his  brother,  John  Wilkes  Booth, 
enacted  his  great  crime,  Edwin  Booth  re- 
solved to  retire  from  the  stage,  but  was  pur- 
suaded  to  reconsider  that  decision.  The 
odium  did    not  in    any  way  attach  to    the 


62 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


great  actor,  and  his  popularity  was  not 
affected.  In  all  his  work  Mr.  Booth  clung 
closely  to  the  legitimate  and  the  traditional 
in  drama,  making  no  experiments,  and  offer- 
ing little  encouragement  to  new  dramatic 
authors.  His  death  occurred  in  New  York, 
June  7,  1894. 


JOSEPH  HOOKER,  a  noted  American 
officer,  was  born  at  Hadley,  Massachu- 
setts, November  13,  18 14.  He  graduated 
from  West  Point  Military  Academy  in  1837, 
and  was  appointed  lieutenant  of  artillery. 
He  served  in  Florida  in  the  Seminole  war, 
and  in  garrison  until  the  outbreak  of  the 
Mexican  war.  During  the  latter  he  saw 
service  as  a  staff  officer  and  was  breveted 
captain,  major  and  lieutenant-colonel  for 
gallantry  at  Monterey,  National  Bridge  and 
Chapultepec.  Resigning  his  commission  in 
1833  he  took  up  farming  in  California,  which 
he  followed  until  1861.  Daring  this  time 
he  acted  as  superintendent  of  military  roads 
in  Oregon.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Rebel- 
lion Hooker  tendered  his  services  to  the 
government,  and.  May  17,  1861,  was  ap- 
pointed brigadier-general  of  volunteers.  He 
served  in  the  defence  of  Washington  and  on 
the  lower  Potomac  until  his  appointment  to 
the  command  of  a  division  in  the  Third 
Corps,  in  March,  1862.  For  gallant  con- 
duct at  the  siege  of  Yorktown  and  in  the 
battles  of  Williamsburg,  Fair  Oaks,  Fra- 
zier's  Farm  and  Malvern  Hill  he  was  made 
major-general.  At  the  head  of  his  division 
he  participated  in  the  battles  of  Manassas 
and  Chantilly.  September  6,  1862,  he  was 
placed  at  the  head  of  the  First  Corps,  and 
in  the  battles  of  South  Mountain  and  An- 
tietam  acted  with  his  usual  gallantry,  being 
wounded  in  the  latter  engagement.  On  re- 
joining the  army  in  November  he  was  made 
brigadier-general  in  the  regular  army.      On 


General  Burnside  attaining  the  command  of 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac  General  Hooker 
was  placed  in  command  of  the  center  grand 
division,  consisting  of  the  Second  and  Fifth 
Corps.  At  the  head  of  these  gallant  men 
he  participated  in  the  battle  of  Fred- 
ericksburg, December  13,  1862.  In  Janu- 
ary, 1863,  General  Hooker  assumed  com- 
mand of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  in 
May  following  fought  the  battle  of  Chan- 
cellorsville.  At  the  time  of  the  invasion  of 
Pennsylvania,  owing  to  a  dispute  with  Gen- 
eral Halleck,  Hooker  requested  to  be  re- 
lieved of  his  command,  and  June  28  was 
succeeded  by  George  G.  Meade.  In  Sep- 
tember, 1863,  General  Hooker  was  given 
command  of  the  Twentieth  Corps  and  trans- 
ferred to  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  and 
distinguished  himself  at  the  battles  of  Look- 
out Mountain,  Missionary  Ridge,  and  Ring- 
gold. In  the  Atlanta  campaign  he  saw 
almost  daily  service  and  merited  his  well- 
known  nickname  of  "Fighting  Joe."  July 
30,  1864,  at  his  own  request,  he  was  re- 
lieved of  his  command.  He  subsequently 
was  in  command  of  several  military  depart- 
ments in  the  north,  and  in  October,  1868, 
was  retired  with  the  full  rank  of  major-gen- 
eral.    He  died  October  31,   1879. 


JAY  GOULD,  one  of  the  greatest  finan- 
ciers that  the  world  has  ever  produced, 
was  born  May  27,  1836,  at  Roxbury,  Dela- 
ware county.  New  York.  He  spent  his  early 
years  on  his  father's  farm  and  at  the  age  of 
fourteen  entered  Hobart  Academy,  New 
York,  and  kept  books  for  the  village  black- 
smith. He  acquired  a  taste  for  mathematics 
and  surveying  and  on  leaving  school  found 
employment  in  making  the  surveyor's  map 
of  Ulster  county.  He  surveyed  very  exten- 
sively in  the  state  and  accumulated  five  thou- 
sand dollars  as  the  fruits  of  his  labor.     He 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


53 


was  then  stricken  with  typhoid  fever  but  re- 
covered and  made  the  acquaintance  of  one 
Zadock  Pratt,  who  sent  him  into  the  west- 
ern part  of  the  state  to  locate  a  site  for  a 
tannery.  He  chose  a  fine  hemlock  grove, 
built  a  sawmill  and  blacksmith  shop  and 
was  soon  doing  a  large  lumber  business  with 
Mr.  Pratt.  Mr.  Gould  soon  secured  control 
of  the  entire  plant,  which  he  sold  out  just 
before  the  panic  of  1857  and  in  this  year  he 
became  the  largest  stockholderintheStrouds- 
burg,  Pennsylvania,  bank.  Shortly  after  the 
crisis  he  bought  the  bonds  of  the  Rutland 
&  Washington  Railroad  at  ten  cents  on  the 
dollar,  and  put  all  his  money  into  railroad 
securities.  For  a  long  time  he  conducted 
this  road  which  he  consolidated  with  the 
Rensselaer  &  Saratoga  Railroad.  In  1859 
he  removed  to  New  York  and  became  a 
heavy  investor  in  Erie  Railroad  stocks,  en- 
tered that  company  and  was  president  until 
its  reorganization  in  1872.  In  December, 
1880,  Mr.  Gould  was  in  control  of  ten  thou- 
sand miles  of  railroad.  In  1887  he  pur- 
chased the  controlling  interest  in  the  St. 
Louis  &  San  Francisco  Railroad  Co.,  and 
was  a  joint  owner  with  the  Atchison,  Topeka 
&  Santa  Fe  Railroad  Co.  of  the  western 
portion  of  the  Southern  Pacific  line.  Other 
lines  soon  came  under  his  control,  aggregat- 
ing thousand  of  miles,  and  he  soon  was  rec- 
ognized as  one  of  the  world's  greatest  rail- 
road magnates.  He  continued  to  hold  his 
place  as  one  of  the  master  financiers  of  the 
century  until  the  time  of  his  death  which 
occurred  December  2,  1892. 


THOMAS  HART  BENTON,  a  very 
prominent  United  States  senator  and 
statesman,  was  born  at  Hillsborough,  North 
Carolina,  March  14,  1782.  He  removed  to 
Tennessee  in  early  life,  studied  law,  and  be- 
gan   to    practice   at  Nashville  about  18 10. 


During  the  war  of  1812-1815  he  served  as 
colonel  of  a  Tennessee  regiment  under  Gen- 
eral Andrew  Jackson.  In  181 5  he  removed 
to  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  and  in  1820  was 
chosen  United  States  senator  for  that  state. 
Having  been  re-elected  in  1826,  he  sup- 
ported President  Jackson  in  his  opposition 
to  the  United  States  bank  and  advocated  a 
gold  and  silver  currency,  thus  gaining  the 
name  of  "  Old  Bullion,"  by  which  he  was 
familiarly  known.  For  many  years  he  was 
the  most  prominent  man  in  Missouri,  and 
took  rank  among  the  greatest  statesmen  of 
his  day.  He  was  a  member  of  the  senate 
for  thirty  years  and  opposed  the  extreme 
states'  rights  policy  of  John  C.  Calhoun. 
In  1852  he  was  elected  to  the  house  of  rep- 
resentatives in  which  he  opposed  the  repeal 
of  the  Missouri  compromise.  He  was  op^ 
posed  by  a  powerful  party  of  States'  Rights 
Democrats  in  Missouri,  who  defeated  him  as  a 
candidate  for  governor  of  that  state  in  1856. 
Colonel  Benton  published  a  considerable 
work  in  two  volumes  in  1854-56,  entitled 
"Thirty  Years'  View,  or  a  History  of  the 
Working  of  the  American  Government  for 
Thirty  Years,  1820-50."  He  died  April  10, 
1858.  

STEPHEN  ARNOLD  DOUGLAS.— One 
of  the  most  prominent  figures  in  politic- 
al circles  during  the  intensely  exciting  days 
that  preceded  the  war,  and  a  leader  of  the 
Union  branch  of  the  Democratic  party  was 
the  gentleman  whose  name  heads  this 
sketch. 

He  was  born  at  Brandon,  Rutland  coun- 
ty, Vermont,  April  23,  1813,  of  poor  but 
respectable  parentage.  His  father,  a  prac- 
ticing physician,  died  while  our  subject  was 
but  an  infant,  and  his  mother,  with  two 
small  children  and  but  small  means,  could 
give  him  but  the  rudiments  of  an  education. 


54 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


At  the  age  of  fifteen  young  Douglas  engaged 
at  work  in  the  cabinet  making  business  to 
raise  funds  to  carrj'  him  through  college. 
After  a  few  years  of  labor  he  was  enabled  to 
pursue  an  academical  course,  first  at  Bran- 
don, and  later  at  Canandaigua,  New  York. 
In  the  latter  place  he  remained  until  1833, 
taking  up  the  study  of  law.  Before  he  was 
twenty,  however,  his  funds  running  low,  he 
abandoned  all  further  attempts  at  educa- 
tion, determining  to  enter  at  once  the  battle 
of  life.  After  some  wanderings  through  the 
western  states  he  took  up  his  residence  at 
Jacksonville,  Illinois,  where,  after  teaching 
school  for  three  months,  he  was  admitted  to 
the  bar,  and  opened  an  office  in  1834. 
Within  a  year  from  that  time,  so  rapidly  had 
he  risen  in  his  profession,  he  was  chosen 
attorney  general  of  the  state,  and  warmly 
espoused  the  principles  of  the  Democratic 
party.  He  soon  became  one  of  the  most 
popular  orators  in  Illinois.  It  was  at  this 
time  he  gained  the  name  of  the  "Little 
Giant."  In  1835  he  resigned  the  position 
of  attorney  general  having  been  elected  to 
the  legislature.  In  1841  he  was  chosen 
judge  of  the  supreme  court  of  Illinois  which 
he  resigned  two  years  later  to  take  a  seat  in 
congress.  It  was  during  this  period  of  his 
life,  while  a  member  of  the  lower  house, 
that  he  established  his  reputation  and  took 
the  side  of  those  \yho  contended  that  con- 
gress had  no  constitutional  right  to  restrict 
the  extension  of  slavery  further  than  the 
agreement  between  the  states  made  in  1820. 
This,  in  spite  of  his  being  opposed  to  slav- 
ery, and  only  on  grounds  which  he  believed 
to  be  right,  favored  what  was  called  the 
Missouri  compromise.  In  1847  Mr.  Doug- 
las was  chosen  United  States  senator  for 
six  years,  and  greatly  distinguished  himself. 
In  1852  he  was  re-elected  to  the  same  office. 
During  this  latter   term,   under  his  leader- 


ship, the  "  Kansas- Nebraska  bill  "  was  car- 
ried in  the  senate.  In  1858,  nothwith- 
standing  the  fierce  contest  made  by  his  able 
competitor  for  the  position,  Abraham  Lin- 
coln, and  with  the  administration  of  Bu- 
chanan arrayed  against  him,  Mr.  Douglas 
was  re-elected  senator.  After  the  trouble 
in  the  Charleston  convention,  when  by  the 
withdrawal  of  several  state  delegates  with- 
out a  nomination,  the  Union  Democrats, 
in  convention  at  Baltimore,  in  1S60,  nomi- 
nated Mr.  Douglas  as  their  candidate  for 
presidency.  The  results  of  this  election  are 
well  known  and  the  great  events  of  1861 
coming  on,  Mr.  Douglas  was  spared  their 
full  development,  dying  at  Chicago,  Illinois, 
June  3,  1 861,  after  a  short  illness.  His 
last  words  to  his  children  were,  "  to  obey 
the  laws  and  support  the  constitution  of  the 
United  States." 


JAMES  MONROE,  fifth  president  of  the 
United  States,  was  born  in  Westmore- 
land county,  Virginia,  April  28,  1758.  At 
the  age  of  si.xteen  he  entered  William  and 
Mary  College,  but  two  years  later  the 
Declaration  of  Independence  having  been 
adopted,  he  left  college  and  hastened  to  New 
York  where  he  joined  Washington's  army  as 
a  military  cadet. 

At  the  battle  of  Trenton  Monroe  per- 
formed gallant  service  and  received  a  wound 
in  the  shoulder,  and  was  promoted  to  a 
captaincy.  He  acted  as  aide  to  Lord  Ster- 
ling at  the  battles  of  Brandywine,  German- 
town  and  Monmouth.  Washington  then 
sent  him  to  Virginia  to  raise  a  new  regiment 
of  which  he  was  to  be  colonel.  The  ex- 
hausted condition  of  Virginia  made  this  im- 
possible, but  he  received  his  commission. 
He  next  entered  the  law  office  of  Thomas 
Jefferson  to  study  law,  as  there  was  no  open- 
ing  for  him  as  an  officer  in  the  army.     In 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


55 


1782  he  was  elected  to  the  Virginia  assem- 
bly, and  the  next  year  he  was  elected  to  the 
Continental  congress.  Realizing  the  inade- 
quacy of  the  old  articles  of  confederation, 
he  advocated  the  calling  of  a  convention  to 
consider  their  revision,  and  introduced  in 
congress  a  resolution  empowering  congress 
to  regulate  trade,  lay  import  duties,  etc. 
This  resolution  was  referred  to  a  committee, 
of  which  he  was  chairman,  and  the  report 
led  to  the  Annapolis  convention,  which 
called  a  general  convention  to  meet  at  Phila- 
delphia in  1787,  when  the  constitution  was 
drafted.  Mr.  Monroe  began  the  practice  of 
law  at  Fredericksburg,  Virginia,  and  was 
soon  after  elected  to  the  legislature,  and  ap- 
pointed as  one  of  the  committee  to  pass 
upon  the  adoption  of  the  constitution.  He 
opposed  it,  as  giving  too  much  power  to  the 
central  government.  He  was  elected  to  the 
United  States  senate  in  1789,  where  he 
allied  himself  with  the  Anti-Federalists  or 
"Republicans,"  as  they  were  sometimes 
called.  Although  his  views  as  to  neutrality 
between  France  and  England  were  directly 
opposed  to  those  of  the  president,  yet  Wash- 
ington appointed  him  minister  to  France. 
His  popularity  in  France  was  so  great  that 
the  antagonism  of  England  and  her  friends 
in  this  country  brought  about  his  recall.  He 
then  became  governor  of  Virginia.  He  was 
sent  as  envoy  to  France  in  1802;  minister 
to  England  in  1803;  and  envoy  to  Spain  in 
1805.  The  next  year  he  returned  to  his 
estate  in  Virginia,  and  with  an  ample  in- 
heritance enjoyed  a  few  years  of  repose.  He 
was  again  called  to  be  governor  of  Virginia, 
and  was  then  appointed  secretary  of  state 
by  President  Madison.  The  war  with  Eng- 
land soon  resulted,  and  when  the  capital 
was  burned  by  the  British,  Mr.  Monroe  be- 
came secretary  of  war  also,  and  planned  the 
measures   for  the  defense  of  New  Orleans. 


The  treasury  being  exhausted  and  credit 
gone,  he  pledged  his  own  estate,  and  thereby 
made  possible  the  victory  of  Jackson  at  New 
Orleans. 

In  18 17  Mr.  Monroe  became  president 
of  the  United  States,  having  been  a  candi- 
date of  the  "Republican"  party,  which  at 
that  time  had  begun  to  be  called  the  ' '  Demo- 
cratic "  party.  In  1820  he  was  re-elected, 
having  two  hundred  and  thirty-one  electoral 
votes  out  of  two  hundred  and  thirty-two. 
His  administration  is  known  as  the  "Era of 
good-feeling, "  and  party  lines  were  almost 
wiped  out.  The  slavery  question  began  to 
assume  importance  at  this  time,  and  the 
Missouri  Compromise  was  passed.  The 
famous  '  •  Monroe  Doctrine  "  originated  in  a 
great  state  paper  of  President  Monroe  upon 
the  rumored  interference  of  the  Holy  Alli- 
ance to  prevent  the  formation  of  free  repub- 
lics in  South  America.  President  Monroe 
acknowledged  their  independence,  and  pro- 
mulgated his  great  "Doctrine,"  which  has 
been  held  in  reverence  since.  Mr.  Monroe's 
death  occurred  in  New  York  on  July  4,  1831. 


THOMAS  ALVA  EDISON,  the  master 
wizard  of  electrical  science  and  whose 
name  is  synonymous  with  the  subjugation 
of  electricity  to  the  service  of  man,  was 
born  in  1847  at  Milan,  Ohio,  and  it  was  at 
Port  Huron,  Michigan,  whither  his  parents 
had  moved  in  1854,  that  his  self-education 
began — for  he  never  attended  school  for 
more  than  two  months.  He  eagerly  de- 
voured every  book  he  could  lay  his  hands  on 
and  is  said  to  have  read  through  an  encyclo- 
pedia without  missing  a  word.  At  thirteen  he 
began  his  working  life  as  a  trainboy  upon  the 
Grand  Trunk  Railway  between  Port  Huron 
and  Detroit.  Much  of  his  time  was  now 
spent  in  Detroit,  where  he  found  increased 
facilities  for  reading  at  the    public  libraries. 


56 


co^rrENDIU^r  of  biography. 


He  was  not  content  to  be  a  newsboj',  so  he 
got  together  three  hundred  pounds  of  type 
and  started  the  issue  of  the  "Grand  Trunk 
Herald."  It  was  only  a  annall  amateur 
weekly,  printed  on  one  side,  the  impression 
being  made  from  the  type  by  hand.  Chemi- 
cal research  was  his  next  undertaking  and 
a  laboratory  was  added  to  his  movable  pub- 
lishing house,  which,  by  the  way,  was  an 
old  freight  car.  One  day,  however,  as  he 
was  experimenting  with  some  phosphorus, 
it  ignited  and  the  irate  conductor  threw  the 
young  seeker  after  the  truth,  chemicals  and 
all,  from  the  train.  His  office  and  laboratory 
were  then  removed  to  the  cellar  of  his  fa- 
ther's house.  As  he  grew  to  manhood  he 
decided  to  become  an  operator.  He  won 
his  opportunity  by  saving  the  life  of  a  child, 
whose  father  was  an  old  operator,  and  out  of 
gratitude  he  gave  Mr.  Edison  lessons  in  teleg- 
raphy. Five  months  later  he  was  compe- 
tent to  fill  a  position  in  the  railroad  office 
at  Port  Huron.  Hence  he  peregrinated  to 
Stratford,  Ontario,  and  thence  successively 
to  Adrian,  Fort  Wayne,  Indianapolis,  Cin- 
cmnati,  Memphis,  Louisville  and  Boston, 
gradually  becoming  an  expert  operator  and 
gaming  experience  that  enabled  him  to 
evolve  many  ingenious  ideas  for  the  im- 
provement of  telegraphic  appliances.  At 
Memphis  he  constructed  an  automatic  re- 
peater, which  enabled  Louisville  and  New 
Orleans  to  communicate  direct,  and  received 
nothing  more  than  the  thanks  of  his  em- 
ployers. Mr.  Edison  came  to  New  York  in 
1 8/0  in  search  of  an  opening  more  suitable 
to  his  capabilities  and  ambitions.  He  hap- 
pened to  be  in  the  office  of  the  Laws  Gold 
Reporting  Company  when  one  of  the  in- 
struments got  out  of  order,  and  even  the 
inventor  of  the  system  could  not  make  it 
work.  Edison  requested  to  be  allowed  to 
attempt  the  task,  and  in  a   few  minutes  he 


had  overcome  the  difficulty  and  secured  an 
advantageous  engagement.  For  several 
years  he  had  a  contract  with  the  Western 
Union  and  the  Gold  Stock  companies, 
whereby  he  received  a  large  salary,  besides 
a  special  price  for  all  telegraphic  improve- 
ments he  could  suggest.  Later,  as  the 
head  of  the  Edison  General  Electric  com- 
pany, with  its  numerous  subordinate  organ- 
izations and  connections  all  over  the  civil- 
ized world,  he  became  several  times  a 
millionaire.  Mr.  Edison  invented  the  pho- 
nograph and  kinetograph  which  bear  his 
name,  the  carbon  telephone,  the  tasimeter, 
and  the  duplex  and  quadruplex  systems  of 
telegraphy. 

JAMES  LONGSTREET,  one  of  the  most 
conspicuous  of  the  Confederate  generals 
during  the  Civil  war,  was  born  in  1820,  in 
South  Carolina,  but  was  early  taken  by  his 
parents  to  Alabama  where  he  grew  to  man- 
hood and  received  his  early  education.  He 
graduated  at  the  United  States  military 
academy  in  1842,  entering  the  army  as 
lieutenant  and  spent  a  few  years  in  the  fron- 
tier service.  When  the  Mexican  war  broke 
out  he  was  called  to  the  front  and  partici- 
pated in  all  the  principal  battles  of  that  war 
up  to  the  storming  of  Chapultepec,  where 
he  received  severe  wounds.  For  gallant 
conduct  at  Contreras,  Cherubusco,  and  Mo- 
lino  del  Key  he  received  the  brevets  of  cap- 
tain and  major.  After  the  close  of  the 
Mexican  war  Longstreet  served  as  adjutant 
and  captain  on  frontier  service  in  Texas  un- 
til 1858  when  he  was  transferred  to  the  staff 
as  paymaster  with  rank  of  major.  In  June, 
1 86 1,  he  resigned  to  join  the  Confederacy 
and  immediately  went  to  the  front,  com- 
manding a  brigade  at  Bull  Run  the  follow- 
ing month.  Promoted  to  be  major-general 
in    1862   he  thereafter  bore  a  conspicuous 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


5( 


part  and  rendered  valuable  service  to  the 
Confederate  cause.  He  participated  in 
many  of  the  most  severe  battles  of  the  Civil 
war  including  Bull  Run  (first  and  second), 
Seven  Pines,  Gaines'  Mill,  Fraziers  Farm, 
Malvern  Hill,  Antietam,  Frederickburg, 
Chancellorsville,  Gettysburg,  Chickamauga, 
the  Wilderness,  Petersburg  and  most  of  the 
fighting  about  Richmond. 

When  the  war  closed  General  Long- 
street  accepted  the  result,  renewed  his  alle- 
giance to  the  government,  and  thereafter 
labored  earnestly  to  obliterate  all  traces  of 
war  and  promote  an  era  of  good  feeling  be- 
tween all  sections  of  the  country.  He  took 
up  his  residence  in  New  Orleans,  and  took 
an  active  interest  and  prominent  part  in 
public  affairs,  served  as  surveyor  of  that 
port  for  several  years;  was  commissioner  of 
engineers  for  Louisiana,  served  four  years 
as  school  commissioner,  etc.  In  1875  he 
was  appointed  supervisor  of  internal  revenue 
and  settled  in  Georgia.  After  that  time  he 
served  four  years  as  United  States  minister 
to  Turkey,  and  also  for  a  number  of  years 
was  United  States  marshal  of  Georgia,  be- 
sides having  held  other  important  official 
positions. 

JOHN  RUTLEDGE,  the  second  chief- 
justice  of  the  United  States,  was  born 
at  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  in  1739. 
He  was  a  son  of  John  Rutledge,  who  had 
left  Ireland  for  America  about  five  years 
prior  to  the  birth  of  our  subject,  and  a 
brother  of  Edward  Rutledge,  a  signer  of  the 
Declaration  of  Independence.  John  Rut- 
ledge received  his  legal  edjcation  at  the 
Temple,  London,  after  which  he  returned 
to  Charleston  and  soon  won  distinction  at 
the  bar.  He  was  elected  to  the  old  Colonial 
congress  in  1765  to  protest  against  the 
"Stamp  Act,"  and  was  a   member  of  the 


South  Carolina  convention  of  1774,  and  of 
the  Continental  congress  of  that  and  the 
succeeding  year.  In  1776  he  was  chairman 
of  the  committee  that  draughted  the  con- 
stitution of  his  state,  and  was  president  of 
the  congress  of  that  state.  He  was  not 
pleased  with  the  state  constitution,  how- 
ever, and  resigned.  In  1779  he  was  again 
chosen  governor  of  the  state,  and  granted 
extraordinary  powers,  and  he  at  once  took 
the  field  to  repel  the  British.  He  joined 
the  army  of  General  Gates  in  1782,  and  the 
same  year  was  elected  to  congress.  He 
Vv'as  a  member  of  the  constitutional  con- 
vention which  framed  our  present  constitu- 
tion. In  1789  he  was  appointed  an  associate 
justice  of  the  first  supreme  court  of  the 
United  States.  He  resigned  to  accept  the 
position  of  chief-justice  of  his  own  state. 
Upon  the  resignation  of  Judge  Jay,  he  was 
appointed  chief-justice  of  the  United  States 
in  1795.  The  appointment  was  never  con- 
firmed, for,  after  presiding  at  one  session, 
his  mind  became  deranged,  and  he  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Judge  Ellsworth.  He  died  at 
Charleston,  July  23,  1800. 


RALPH  WALDO  EMERSON  was  one 
of  the  most  noted  literary  men  of  his 
time.  He  was  born  in  Boston,  Massachu- 
setts, May  25,  1803.  Hehada  minister  for 
an  ancestor,  either  on  the  paternal  or  ma- 
ternal side,  in  every  generation  for  eight 
generations  back.  His  father.  Rev.  Will- 
iam Emerson,  was  a  native  of  Concord, 
Massachusetts,  born  May  6,  1769,  graduated 
at  Harvard,  in  1789,  became  a  Unitarian 
minister;  was  a  fine  writer  and  one  of  the 
best  orators  of  his  day;  died  in  181 1. 

Ralph  Waldo  Emerson  was  fitted  for 
college  at  the  public  schools  of  Boston,  and 
graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  1821,  win- 
ning about    this  time  several  prizes  for  es- 


58 


COAfPENDICrM   OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


says.  For  five  years  he  taught  school  in 
Boston;  in  1826  was  licensed  to  preach,  and 
in  1829  was  ordained  as  a  colleague  to  Rev. 
Henry  Ware  of  the  Second  Unitarian  church 
in  Boston.  In  1832  he  resigned,  making 
the  announcement  in  a  sermon  of  his  un- 
•villingness  longer  to  administer  the  rite  of 
•he  Lord's  Supper,  after  which  he  spent 
about  a  year  in  Europe.  Upon  his  return 
he  began  his  career  as  a  lecturer  before  the 
Boston  Mechanics  Institute,  his  subject  be- 
ing "\^'ater.  "  His  early  lectures  on  "  Italy" 
and  "Relation  of  Man  to  the  Globe  "  also 
attracted  considerable  attention;  as  did  also 
his  biographical  lectures  on  Michael  Angelo, 
Milton,  Luther,  George  Fox,  and  Edmund 
Burke.  After  that  time  he  gave  many 
courses  of  lectures  in  Boston  and  became 
one  of  the  best  known  lecturers  in  America. 
But  very  few  men  have  rendered  such  con- 
tinued service  in  this  field.  He  lectured  for 
forty  successive  seasons  before  the  Salem, 
Massachusetts,  Lyceum  and  also  made  re- 
peated lecturing  tours  in  this  country  and  in 
England.  In  1835  Mr.  Emerson  took  up 
his  residence  at  Concord,  Massachusetts, 
where  he  continued  to  make  his  home  until 
his  death  which  occurred  April  27,  1882. 

Mr.  Emerson's  literary  work  covered  a 
wide  scope.  He  wrote  and  published  many 
works,  essays  and  poems,  which  rank  high 
among  the  works  of  American  literary  men. 
A  few  of  the  many  which  he  produced  are 
the  following:  "Nature;"  "The  Method 
ofNature;"  "  Man  Thinking;"  "The  Dial;" 
"Essays;"  "Poems;"  "English  Traits;" 
"The  Conduct  of  Life;"  "May-Day  and 
other  Poems  "  and  "  Society  and  Solitude;" 
besides  many  others.  He  was  a  prominent 
member  of  the  American  Academy  of  Arts 
and  Sciences,  of  the  American  Philosophical 
Society,  the  Massachusetts  Historical  Society 
and  other  kindred  associations. 


ALEXANDER  T.  STEWART,  one  of 
the  famous  merchant  princes  of  New 
York,  was  born  near  the  city  of  Belfast,  Ire- 
land, in  1803,  and  before  he  was  eight  years 
of  age  was  left  an  orphan  without  any  near 
relatives,  save  an  aged  grandfather.  The 
grandfather  being  a  pious  Methodist  wanted 
to  make  a  minister  of  young  Stewart,  and 
accordingly  put  him  in  a  school  with  that 
end  in  view  and  he  graduated  at  Trinity  Col- 
lege, in  Dublin.  When  scarcely  twenty 
years  of  age  he  came  to  New  York.  His 
first  employment  was  that  of  a  teacher,  but 
accident  soon  made  him  a  merchant.  En- 
tering into  business  relations  with  an  ex- 
perienced man  of  his  acquaintance  he  soon 
found  himself  with  the  rent  of  a  store  on 
his  hands  and  alone  in  a  new  enterprise. 
Mr.  Stewart's  business  grew  rapidly  in  all 
directions,  but  its  founder  had  executive 
ability  sufficient  for  any  and  all  emergencies, 
and  in  time  his  house  became  one  of  the 
greatest  mercantile  establishments  of  mod- 
ern times,  and  the  name  of  Stewart  famous. 
Mr.  Stewart's  death  occurred  April  10, 
1876.  

JAMES  FENIMORE  COOPER.  —  In 
speaking  of  this  noted  American  nov- 
elist, William  Cullen  Bryant  said:  "  He 
wrote  for  mankind  at  large,  hence  it  is  that 
he  has  earned  a  fame  wider  than  any  Amer- 
ican author  of  modern  times.  The  crea- 
tions of  his  genius  shall  survive  through 
centuries  to  come,  and  only  perish  with  our 
language."  Another  eminent  writer  (Pres- 
cott)  said  of  Cooper:  "  In  his  productions 
every  American  must  take  an  honest  pride; 
for  surely  no  one  has  succeeded  like  Coop)er 
in  the  portraiture  of  American  character,  or 
has  given  such  glowing  and  eminently  truth- 
ful pictures  of  American  scenery." 

James  Fenimore  Cooper  was  born  Sep- 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


59 


tember  15,  1789,  at  Burlington,  New  Jer- 
sey, and  was  a  son  of  Judge  William  Cooper. 
About  a  year  after  the  birth  of  our  subject 
the  family  removed  to  Otsego  county,  New 
York,  and  founded  the  town  called  "  Coop- 
erstown."  James  Fenimore  Cooper  spent 
his  childhood  there  and  in  1802  entered 
Yale  College,  and  four  years  later  became  a 
midshipman  in  the  United  States  navy.  In 
181 1  he  was  married,  quit  the  seafaring  life, 
and  began  devoting  more  or  less  time  to  lit- 
erary pursuits.  His  first  work  was  "Pre- 
caution," a  novel  published  in  1819,  and 
three  years  later  he  produced  "The  Spy,  a 
Tale  of  Neutral  Ground,"  which  met  with 
great  favor  and  was  a  universal  success. 
This  was  followed  by  many  other  works, 
among  which  may  be  mentioned  the  follow- 
ing: ' '  The  Pioneers, "  ' '  The  Pilot, "  "  Last 
of  the  Mohicans,"  "The  Prairie,"  "The 
Red  Rover,"  "The  Manikins,"  "Home- 
ward Bound,"  "Home  as  Found,"  "  History 
of  the  United  States  Navy,"  "The  Path- 
finder," "Wing  and  Wing,"  "Afloat  and 
Ashore,"  "The  Chain-Bearer,"  "Oak- 
Openings,"  etc.  J.  Fenimore  Cooper  died 
at  Cooperstown,  New  York,  September  14, 
1851. 

MARSHALL  FIELD,  one  of  the  mer- 
chant princes  of  America,  ranks  among 
the  most  successful  business  men  of  the  cen- 
tury. He  was  born  in  1835  at  Conway, 
Massachusetts.  He  spent  his  early  life  on 
a  farm  and  secured  a  fair  education  in  the 
common  schools,  supplementing  this  with  a 
course  at  the  Conway  Academy.  His 
natural  bent  ran  in  the  channels  of  commer- 
cial life,  and  at  the  age  of  seventeen  he  was 
given  a  position  in  a  store  at  Pittsfield, 
Massachusetts.  Mr.  Field  remained  there 
four  years  and  removed  to  Chicago  in  1856. 
He  began  his  career  in  Chicago  as   a   clerk 


in  the  wholesale  dry  goods  house  of  Cooley, 
Wadsworth  &  Company,  which  later  be- 
came Cooley,  Farwell  &  Company,  and  still 
later  John  V.  Farwell  &  Company.  He 
remained  with  them  four  years  and  exhibit- 
ed marked  ability,  in  recognition  of  which 
he  was  given  a  partnership.  In  1865  Mr. 
Field  and  L.  Z.  Leiter,  who  was  also  a 
member  of  the  firm,  withdrew  and  formed 
the  firm  of  Field,  Palmer  &  Leiter,  the 
third  partner  being  Potter  Palmer,  and  they 
continued  in  business  until  1867,  when  Mr. 
Palmer  retired  and  the  firm  became  Field, 
Leiter  &  Company.  They  ran  under  the 
latter  name  until  1881,  when  Mr.  Leiter  re- 
tired and  the  house  has  since  continued  un- 
der the  name  of  Marshall  Field  &  Company. 
The  phenomenal  success  accredited  to  the 
house  is  largely  due  to  the  marked  ability 
of  Mr.  Field,  the  house  had  become  one  of 
the  foremost  in  the  west,  with  an  annual 
sale  of  $8,000,000  in  1870.  The  total  loss 
of  the  firm  during  the  Chicago  fire  was 
$3,500,000  of  which  $2,500,000  was  re- 
covered through  the  insurance  companies. 
It  rapidly  recovered  from  the  effects  of  this 
and  to-day  the  annual  sales  amount  to  over 
$40,000,000.  Mr.  Field's  real  estate  hold- 
ings amounted  to  $10,000,000.  He  was 
one  of  the  heaviest  subscribers  to  the  Bap- 
tist University  fund  although  he  is  a  Presby- 
terian, and  gave  $1,000,000  for  the  endow- 
ment of  the  Field  Columbian  Museum — 
one  of  the  greatest  institutions  of  the  kind 
in  the  world. 

EDGAR  WILSON  NYE,  who  won  an  im- 
mense popularity  under  the  pen  name 
of  "  Bill  Nye,"  was  one  of  the  most  eccen- 
tric humorists  of  his  day.  He  was  born  Au- 
gust 25,  1850,  at  Shirley,  Piscataqua  coun- 
ty, Maine,  "at  a  very  early  age"  as  he  ex- 
presses it.      He  took  an  academic  course  in 


60 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHr. 


River  Falls.  Wisconsin,  from  whence,  after 
his  graduation,  he  removed  to  Wyoming 
Territory.  He  studied  law  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  1876.  He  began  when 
quite  young  to  contribute  humorous  sketches 
to  the  newspapers,  became  connected  with 
various  western  journals  and  achieved  a 
brilliant  success  as  a  humorist.  Mr.  Nye 
settled  later  in  New  York  City  where  he 
devoted  his  time  to  writing  funny  articles  for 
the  big  newspaper  syndicates.  He  wrote  for 
publication  in  book  form  the  following : 
"Bill  Nye  and  the  Boomerang,"  "The 
Forty  Liars,"  "Baled  Hay,"  "Bill  Nye's 
Blossom  Rock,"  "Remarks,"  etc.  His 
death  occurred  February  21,  1896,  at  Ashe- 
ville,  North  Carolina. 


THOMAS  DE  WITT  TALMAGE,  one  of 
the  most  celebrated  American  preach- 
ers, was  born  January  7,  1832,  and  was  the 
youngest  of  twelve  children.  He  made  his 
preliminary  studies  at  the  grammar  school 
in  New  Brunswick,  New  Jersey.  At  the  age 
of  eighteen  he  joined  the  church  and  entered 
the  University  of  the  City  of  New  York,  and 
graduated  in  May,  1853.  The  e.xercises 
were  held  in  Niblo's  Garden  and  his  speech 
aroused  the  audience  to  a  high  pitch  of  en- 
thusiasm. At  the  close  of  his  college  duties 
he  imagined  himself  interested  in  the  law 
and  for  three  years  studied  law.  Dr.  Tal- 
mage  then  perceived  his  mistake  and  pre- 
pared himself  for  the  ministry  at  the 
Reformed  Dutch  Church  Theological  Semi- 
nary at  New  Brunswick,  New  Jersey.  Just 
after  his  ordination  the  young  minister  re- 
ceived two  calls,  one  from  Piermont,  New 
York,  and  the  other  from  Belleville,  New 
Jersey.  Dr.  Talmage  accepted  the  latter 
and  for  three  years  filled  that  charge,  when 
he  was  called  to  Syracuse,  New  York.  Here 
it   was   that   his   sermons   first   drew  large 


crowds  of  people  to  his  church,  and  from 
thence  dates  his  popularity.  Afterward  he 
became  the  pastor  of  the  Second  Reformed 
Dutch  church,  of  Philadelphia,  remaining 
seven  years,  during  which  period  he  first 
entered  upon  the  lecture  platform  and  laid 
the  foundation  for  his  future  reputation.  At 
the  end  of  this  time  he  received  three  calls, 
one  from  Chicago,  one  from  San  Francisco, 
and  one  from  the  Central  Presbyterian 
church  of  Brooklyn,  which  latter  at  that 
time  consisted  of  only  nineteen  members 
with  a  congregation  of  about  thirty-five. 
This  church  offered  him  a  salary  of  seven 
thousand  dollars  and  he  accepted  the  call. 
He  soon  induced  the  trustees  to  sell  the  old 
church  and  build  a  new  one.  They  did  so 
and  erected  the  Brooklyn  Tabernacle,  but 
it  burned  down  shortly  after  it  was  finished. 
By  prompt  sympathy  and  general  liberality 
a  new  church  was  built  and  formally  opened 
in  February,  1874.  It  contained  seats  for 
four  thousand,  six  hundred  and  fifty,  but  if 
necessary  seven  thousand  could  be  accom- 
modated. In  October,  1878,  his  salary  was 
raised  from  seven  thousand  dollars  to  twelve 
thousand  dollars,  and  in  the  autumn  of  1889 
the  second  tabernacle  was  destroyed  by  fire. 
A  third  tabernacle  was  built  and  it  was  for- 
mally dedicated  on  Easter  Sunday,  1891. 


JOHN  PHILIP  SOUSA,  conceded  as 
being  one  of  the  greatest  band  leaders 
in  the  world,  won  his  fame  while  leader  of 
the  United  States  Marine  Band  at  Washing- 
ton, District  of  Columbia.  He  was  not 
originally  a  band  player  but  was  a  violinist, 
and  at  the  age  of  seventeen  he  was  conduc- 
tor of  an  opera  company,  a  profession  which 
he  followed  for  several  years,  until  he  was 
offered  the  leadership  of  the  Marine  Band 
at  Washington.  The  proposition  was  re- 
pugnant to  him  at  first  but  he  accepted  the 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


01 


offer  and  then  ensued  ten  years  of  brilliant 
success  with  that  organization.  When  he 
first  took  the  Marine  Band  he  began  to 
gather  the  national  airs  of  all  the  nations 
that  have  representatives  in  Washington, 
and  compiled  a  comprehensive  volume  in- 
cluding nearly  all  the  national  songs  of  the 
different  nations.  He  composed  a  number 
of  marches,  waltzes  and  two-steps,  promi- 
nent among  which  are  the  "Washington 
Post,"  "Directorate,"  "King  Cotton," 
"High  School  Cadets,"  "Belle  of  Chica- 
go," "Liberty  Bell  March,"  "Manhattan 
Beach,"  "On  Parade  March,"  "Thunderer 
March,"  "Gladiator  March,"  "  El  Capitan 
March,"  etc.  He  became  a  very  extensive 
composer  of  this  class  of  music. 


JOHN  QUINCY  ADAMS,  sixth  president 
of  the  United  States,  was  born  in 
Braintree,  Massachusetts,  July  ii,  1767, 
the  son  of  John  Adams.  At  the  age  of 
eleven  he  was  sent  to  school  at  Paris,  and 
two  years  later  to  Leyden,  where  he  entered 
that  great  university.  He  returned  to  the 
United  States  in  1785,  and  graduated  from 
Harvard  in  1788.  He  then  studied  law, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1791.  His 
practice  brought  no  income  the  first  two 
years,  but  he  won  distinction  in  literary 
fields,  and  was  appointed  minister  to  The 
Hague  in  1794.  He  married  in  1797,  and 
went  as  minister  to  Berlin  the  same  year, 
serving  until  1801,  when  Jefferson  became 
president.  He  was  elected  to  the  senate  in 
1803  by  the  Federalists,  but  was  condemned 
by  that  party  for  advocating  the  Embargo 
Act  and  other  Anti-Federalist  measures.  He 
was  appointed  as  professor  of  rhetoric  at 
Harvard  in  1805,  and  in  1809  was  sent  as 
minister  to  Russia.  He  assisted  in  negotiat- 
ing the  treaty  of  peace  with  England  in 
1 8 14,  and   became   minister  to   that  power 


the  next  year.  He  served  during  Monroe's 
administration  two  terms  as  secretary  of 
state,  during  which  time  party  lines  were 
obliterated,  and  in  1824  four  candidates  for 
president  appeared,  all  of  whom  were  iden- 
tified to  some  extent  with  the  new  "  Demo- 
cratic" party.  Mr.  Adams  received  84  elec- 
toral votes,  Jackson  99,  Crawford  41,  and 
Clay  37.  As  no  candidate  had  a  majority 
of  all  votes,  the  election  went  to  the  house 
of  representatives,  which  elected  Mr.  Adams. 
As  Clay  had  thrown  his  influence  to  Mr. 
Adams,  Clay  became  secretary  of  state,  and 
this  caused  bitter  feeling  on  the  part  of  the 
Jackson  Democrats,  who  were  joined  by 
Mr.  Crawford  and  his  following,  and  op- 
posed every  measure  of  the  administration. 
In  the  election  of  1S28  Jackson  was  elected 
over  Mr.  Adams  by  a  great  majority. 

Mr.  Adams  entered  the  lower  house  of 
congress  in  1830,  elected  from  the  district 
in  which  he  was  born  and  continued  to  rep- 
resent it  for  seventeen  years.  He  was 
known  as  "  the  old  man  eloquent,"  and  his 
work  in  congress  was  independent  of  party. 
He  opposed  slavery  extension  and  insisted 
upon  presenting  to  congress,  one  at  a  time, 
the  hundreds  of  petitions  against  the  slave 
power.  One  of  these  petitions,  presented  in 
1842,  was  signed  by  forty-five  citizens  of 
Massachusetts,  and  prayed  congress  for  a 
peaceful  dissolution  of  the  Union.  His 
enemies  seized  upon  this  as  an  opportunity 
to  crush  their  powerful  foe,  and  in  a  caucus 
meeting  determined  upon  his  expulsion  from 
congress.  Finding  they  would  not  be  able 
to  command  enough  votes  for  this,  they  de- 
cided upon  a  course  that  would  bring  equal 
disgrace.  They  formulated  a  resolution  to 
the  effect  that  while  he  merited  expulsion, 
the  house  would,  in  great  mercy,  substitute 
its  severest  censure.  When  it  was  read  in  the 
house  the  old  man,  then  in  his  seventy-fifth 


62 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPJIV 


year,  arose  and  demanded  that  the  first  para- 
graph of  the  Declaration  of  Independence 
be  read  as  his  defense.  It  embraced  the 
famous  sentence,  "that  whenever  any  form 
of  government  becomes  destructive  to  those 
ends,  it  is  the  right  of  the  people  to  alter  or 
abolish  it,  and  to  institute  new  government, 
etc.,  etc."  After  eleven  days  of  hard  fight- 
ing his  opponents  were  defeated.  On  Febru- 
ary 21,  1848,  he  rose  to  address  the  speaker 
on  the  Oregon  question,  when  he  suddenly 
fell  from  a  stroke  of  paralysis.  He  died 
soon  after  in  the  rotunda  of  the  capitol, 
where  he  had  been  conveyed  by  his  col- 
leagues. 


SLSAN  B.  ANTHONY  was  one  of  the 
most  famous  women  of  America.  She 
was  born  at  South  Adams,  Massachusetts, 
February  15,  1820,  the  daughter  of  a 
Quaker.  She  received  a  good  education 
and  became  a  school  teacher,  following  that 
profession  for  fifteen  years  in  New  York. 
Beginning  with  about  1852  she  became  the 
active  leader  of  the  woman's  rights  move- 
ment and  won  a  wide  reputation  for  her 
zeal  and  ability.  She  also  distinguished 
herself  for  her  zeal  and  eloquence  in  the 
temperance,  and  anti-slavery  causes,  and 
became  a  conspicuous  figure  during  the  war. 
After  the  close  of  the  war  she  gave  most  of 
her  labors  to  the  cause  of  woman's  suffrage. 


PHILIP  D.  ARMOUR,  one  of  the  most 
conspicuous  figures  in  the  mercantile 
history  of  America,  was  born  May  16,  1832, 
on  a  farm  at  Stockbridge,  Madison  county, 
New  York,  and  received  his  early  education 
in  the  common  schools  of  that  county.  He 
was  apprenticed  to  a  farmer  and  worked 
faithfully  and  well,  being  very  ambitious  and 
desiring  to  start  out  for  himself.  At  the 
age  of  twenty  he  secured  a  release  from  his 


indentures  and  set  out  overland  for  the 
gold  fields  of  California.  After  a  great 
deal  of  hard  work  he  accumulated  a  little 
money  and  then  came  east  and  settled 
in  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin.  He  went  into 
the  grain  receiving  and  warehouse  busi- 
ness and  was  fairly  successful,  and  later  on 
he  formed  a  partnership  with  John  Plankin- 
ton  in  the  pork  packing  line,  the  style  of  the 
firm  being  Plankinton  &  Armour.  Mr.  Ar- 
mour made  his  first  great  "deal"  in  selling 
pork  "short  "  on  the  New  York  market  in 
the  anticipation  of  the  fall  of  the  Confed- 
eracy, and  Mr.  Armour  is  said  to  have  made 
through  this  deal  a  million  dollars.  He  then 
established  packing  houses  in  Chicago  and 
Kansas  City,  and  in  1875  he  removed  to 
Chicago.  He  increased  his  business  by  add- 
ing to  it  the  shipment  of  dressed  beef  to 
the  European  markets,  and  many  other  lines 
of  trade  and  manufacturing,  and  it  rapidly 
assumed  vast  proportions,  employing  an 
army  of  men  in  different  lines  of  the  busi- 
ness. Mr.  Armour  successfully  conducted  a 
great  many  speculative  deals  in  pork  and 
grain  of  immense  proportions  and  also  erected 
many  large  warehouses  for  the  storage  of 
grain.  He  became  one  of  the  representative 
business  men  of  Chicago,  where  he  became 
closely  identified  with  all  enterprises  of  a 
public  nature,  but  his  fame  as  a  great  busi- 
ness man  extended  to  all  parts  of  the  world. 
He  founded  the  "Armour  Institute  "  at  Chi- 
cago and  also  contributed  largely  to  benevo- 
lent and  charitable  institutions. 


ROBERT  FULTON.— Although  Fulton 
is  best  known  as  the  inventor  of  the 
first  successful  steamboat,  yet  his  claims  to 
distinction  do  not  rest  alone  upon  that,  for 
he  was  an  inventor  along  other  lines,  a 
painter  and  an  author.  He  was  born  at 
Little  Britain,  Lancaster  county,  Pennsy! 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


65 


vania,  in  1765,  of  Scotch-Irish  ancestry. 
At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  removed  to  Phila- 
delphia, and  there  and  in  New  York  en- 
gaged in  miniature  painting  with  success 
both  from  a  pecuniary  and  artistic  point  of 
view.  With  the  results  of  his  labors  he  pur- 
chased a  farm  for  the  support  of  his  mother. 
He  went  to  London  and  studied  under  the 
great  painter,  Benjamin  West,  and  all 
through  life  retained  his  fondness  for  art 
and  gave  evidence  of  much  ability  in  that 
line.  While  in  England  he  was  brought  in 
contact  with  the  Duke  of  Bridgewater,  the 
father  of  the  English  canal  system;  Lord 
Stanhope,  an  eminent  mechanician,  and 
James  Watt,  the  inventor  of  the  steam  en- 
gine. Their  influence  turned  his  mind  to  its 
true  field  of  labor,  that  of  mechanical  in- 
vention. Machines  for  flax  spinning, 
marble  sawing,  rope  making,  and  for  remov- 
ing earth  from  excavations,  are  among  his 
earliest  ventures.  His  "Treatise  on  the 
Improvement  of  Canal  Navigation,"  issued 
in  1796,  and  a  series  of  essays  on  canals 
were  soon  followed  by  an  English  patent 
for  canal  improvements.  In  1797  he  went 
to  Paris,  where  he  resided  until  1806,  and 
there  invented  a  submarine  torpedo  boat  for 
maritime  defense,  but  which  was  rejected 
by  the  governments  of  France,  England  and 
the  United  States.  In  1 803  he  offered  to  con- 
struct for  the  Emperor  Napoleon  a  steam- 
boat that  would  assist  in  carrying  out  the 
plan  of  invading  Great  Britain  then  medi- 
tated by  that  great  captain.  In  pursuance 
he  constructed  his  first  steamboat  on-the 
Seine,  but  it  did  not  prove  a  full  success 
and  the  idea  was  abandoned  by  the  French 
government.  By  the  aid  of  Livingston, 
then  United  States  minister  to  France, 
Fulton  purchased,  in  1806,  an  engine  which 
he  brought  to  this  country.  After  studying 
the  defects  of  his  own  and  other  attempts  in 


this  line  he  built  and  launched  in  1807  the 
Clermont,  the  first  successful  steamboat. 
This  craft  only  attained  a  speed  of  five 
miles  an  hour  while  going  up  North  river. 
His  first  patent  not  fully  covering  his  in- 
vention, Fulton  was  engaged  in  many  law 
suits  for  infringement.  He  constructed 
many  steamboats,  ferryboats,  etc.,  among 
these  being  the  United  States  steamer 
"Fulton  the  First,"  built  in  1814,  the  first 
war  steamer  ever  built.  This  craft  never 
attained  any  great  speed  owing  to  some  de- 
fects in  construction  and  accidentally  blew 
up  in  1829.  Fulton  died  in  New  York,  Feb- 
ruary 21,  181 5. 


SALMON  PORTLAND  CHASE,  sixth 
chief-justice  of  the  United  States,  and 
one  of  the  most  eminent  of  American  jurists, 
was  born  in  Cornish,  New  Hampshire,  Jan- 
uary 13,  1808.  At  the  age  of  nine  he  was 
left  in  poverty  by  the  death  of  his  father, 
but  means  were  found  to  educate  him.  He 
was  sent  to  his  uncle,  a  bishop,  who  con- 
ducted an  academy  near  Columbus,  Ohio, 
and  here  young  Chase  worked  on  the  farm 
and  attended  school.  At  the  age  of  fifteen 
he  returned  to  his  native  state  and  entered 
Dartmouth  College,  from  which  he  gradu- 
ated in  1826.  He  then  went  to  Washington, 
and  engaged  in  teaching  school,  and  study- 
ing law  under  the  instruction  of  William 
Wirt.  He  was  licensed  to  practice  in  1829, 
and  went  to  Cincinnati,  where  he  had  a 
hard  struggle  for  several  years  following. 
He  had  in  the  meantime  prepared  notes  on 
the  statutes  of  Ohio,  which,  when  published, 
brought  him  into  prominence  locally.  He 
was  soon  after  appointed  solicitor  of  the 
United  States  Bank.  In  1837  he  appeared 
as  counsel  for  a  fugitive  slave  woman,  Ma- 
tilda, and  sought  by  all  the  powers  of  his 
learning  and  eloquence  to  prevent  her  owner 


60 


COMPENDIUM  a  I-   iiH)c,RAriir 


from  reclaiming  her.  He  acted  in  many 
other  cases,  and  devolved  the  trite  expres- 
sion, "Slavery  is  sectional,  freedom  is  na- 
tional." He  was  employed  to  defend  Van 
Zandt  before  the  supreme  court  of  the  United 
States  in  1846,  which  was  one  of  the  most 
noted  cases  connected  with  the  great  strug- 
gle against  slavery.  By  this  time  Mr.  Chase 
had  become  the  recognized  leader  of  that 
element  known  as  "  free-soilers."  He  was 
elected  to  the  United  States  senate  in  1849, 
and  was  chosen  governor  of  Ohio  in  1855 
and  re-elected  in  1857.  He  was  chosen  to 
the  United  States  senate  from  Ohio  in  1861, 
but  was  made  secretary  of  the  treasury  by 
Lincoln  and  accepted.  He  inaugurated  a 
financial  system  to  replenish  the  exhausted 
treasury  and  meet  the  demands  of  the  great- 
est war  in  history  and  at  the  same  time  to 
revive  the  industries  of  the  country.  One 
of  the  measures  which  afterward  called  for 
his  judicial  attention  was  the  issuance  of 
currency  notes  which  were  made  a  legal 
tender  in  payment  of  debts.  When  this 
question  came  before  him  as  chief-justice 
of  the  United  States  he  reversed  his  former 
action  and  declared  the  measure  unconstitu- 
tional. The  national  banking  system,  by 
which  all  notes  issued  were  to  be  based  on 
funded  government  bonds  of  equal  or  greater 
amounts,  had  its  direct  origin  with  Mr.  Chase. 
Mr.  Chase  resigned  the  treasury  port- 
folio in  1864,  and  was  appointed  the  same 
year  as  chief-justice  of  the  United  States 
supreme  court.  The  great  questions  that 
came  up  before  him  at  this  crisis  in  the  life 
of  the  nation  were  no  less  than  those  which 
confronted  the  first  chief -justice  at  the  for- 
mation of  our  government.  Reconstruction, 
private,  state  and  national  interests,  the 
constitutionality  of  the  acts  of  congress 
passed  in  times  of  great  excitement,  the 
construction  and  interpretation  to  be  placed 


upon  the  several  amendments  to  the  national 
constitution, — these  were  among  the  vital 
questions  requiring  prompt  decision.  He 
received  a  paralytic  stroke  in  1870,  which 
impaired  his  health,  though  his  mental 
powers  were  not  afiected.  He  continued  to 
preside  at  the  opening  terms  for  two  years 
following  and  died  May  7,  1873. 


HARRIET  ELIZABETH  BEECHER 
STOWE,  a  celebrated  American  writ- 
er, was  born  June  14,  1812,  at  Litchfield, 
Connecticut.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Lyman 
Beecher  and  a  sister  of  Henry  Ward  Beecher, 
two  noted  divines;  was  carefully  educated, 
and  taught  school  for  several  years  at  Hart- 
ford, Connecticut.  In  1832  Miss  Beecher 
married  Professor  Stowe,  then  of  Lane  Semi- 
nary, Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  afterwards  at 
Bowdoin  College  and  Andover  Seminary. 
Mrs.  Stowe  published  in  1849  "  The  May- 
flower, or  sketches  of  the  descendants  of  the 
Pilgrims,"  and  in  1851  commenced  in  the 
' '  National  Era  "  of  Washington,  a  serial  story 
which  was  published  separately  in  1852  under 
the  title  of  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin."  This 
book  attained  almost  unparalleled  success 
both  at  home  and  abroad,  and  within  ten  years 
it  had  been  translated  in  almost  every  lan- 
guage of  the  civilized  world.  Mrs.  Stowe  pub- 
lished in  1853  a  "Key  to  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin" 
in  which  the  data  that  she  used  was  published 
and  its  truthfulness  was  corroborated.  In 
1853  she  accompanied  her  husband  and 
brother  to  Europe,  and  on  her  return  pub- 
lished "Sunny  Memories  of  Foreign  Lands" 
in  1854.  Mrs.  Stowe  was  for  some  time 
one  of  the  editors  of  the  ' '  Atlantic  Monthly  " 
and  the  "  Hearth  and  Home,"  for  which 
she  had  written  a  number  of  articles. 
Among  these,  also  published  separately,  are 
"  Dred,  a  tale  of  the  Great  Dismal  Swamp  " 
(later  published  under  the  title  of   "  Nina 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


C.7 


Gordon");  "The  Minister's  Wooing;"  "The 
Pearl  of  Orr's  Island;"  "Agnes  of  Sorrento;" 
"Oldtown  Folks;"  "My  Wife  and  I;""Bible 
Heroines,"  and  "A  Dog's  Mission."  Mrs. 
Stowe's  death  occurred  July  I,  1896,  at 
Hartford,  Connecticut. 


THOMAS  JONATHAN  JACKSON,  bet- 
ter known  as  "Stonewall"  Jackson, 
was  one  of  the  most  noted  of  the  Confeder- 
ate generals  of  the  Civil  war.  He  was  a 
soldier  by  nature,  an  incomparable  lieuten- 
ant, sure  to  execute  any  operation  entrusted 
to  him  with  marvellous  precision,  judgment 
and  courage,  and  all  his  individual  cam- 
paigns and  combats  bore  the  stamp  of  a 
masterly  capacity  for  war.  He  was  born 
January  21,  1824,  at  Clarksburg,  Harrison 
county.  West  Virginia.  He  was  early  in 
life  imbued  with  the  desire  to  be  a  soldier 
and  it  is  said  walked  from  the  mountains  of 
Virginia  to  Washington,  secured  the  aid  of 
his  congressman,  and  was  appointed  cadet 
at  the  United  States  Military  Academy  at 
West  Point  from  which  he  was  graduated  in 

1846.  Attached  to  the  army  as  brevet  sec- 
ond lieutenant  of  the  First  Artillery,  his  first 
service  was  as  a  subaltern  with  Magruder's 
battery  of  light  artillery  in  the  Mexican  war. 
He  participated  at  the  reduction  of  Vera 
Cruz,  and  was  noticed  for  gallantry  in  the 
battles  of  Cerro  Gordo,  Contreras,  Moline 
del  Rey,  Chapultepec,  and  the  capture  of 
the  city  of  Mexico,  receiving  the  brevets  of 
captain  for  conduct  at  Contreras  and  Cher- 
ubusco  and  of  major  at  Chapultepec.  In 
the  meantime  he  had  been  advanced  by 
regular  promotion    to  be  first  lieutenant  in 

1847.  In  1852,  the  war  having  closed,  he 
resigned  and  became  professor  of  natural 
and  experimental  philosophy  and  artillery 
instructor  at  the  Virginia  State  Military 
Institute  at  Lexington,  Virginia,  where  he 


remained  until  Virginia  declared  for  seces- 
sion, he  becoming  chiefly  noted  for  intense 
religious  sentiment  coupled  with  personal 
eccentricities.  Upon  the  breaking  out  of 
the  war  he  was  made  colonel  and  placed  in 
command  of  a  force  sent  to  sieze  Harper's 
Ferry,  which  he  accomplished  May  3,  1861. 
Relieved  by  General  J.  E.  Johnston,  May 
23,  he  took  command  of  the  brigade  of 
Valley  Virginians,  whom  he  moulded  into 
that  brave  corps,  baptized  at  the  first 
Manassas,  and  ever  after  famous  as  the 
"  Stonewall  Brigade."  After  this  "Stone- 
wall "  Jackson  was  made  a  major-general, 
in  1 861,  and  participated  until  his  death  in 
all  the  famous  campaigns  about  Richmond 
and  in  Virginia,  and  was  a  conspicuous  fig- 
ure in  the  memorable  battles  of  that  time. 
May  2,  1863,  at  Chancellorsville,  he  was 
wounded  severely  by  his  own  troops,  two 
balls  shattering  his  left  arm  and  another 
passing  through  the  palm  of  his  right  hand. 
The  left  arm  was  amputated,  but  pneumonia 
intervened,  and,  weakened  by  the  great  loss 
of  blood,  he  died  May  10,  1863.  The  more 
his  operations  in  the  Shenandoah  valley  in 
1862  are  studied  the  more  striking  must  the 
merits  of  this  great  soldier  appear. 


JOHN  GREENLEAF  WHITTIER.— 
J  Near  to  the  heart  of  the  people  of  the 
Anglo-Saxon  race  will  ever  lie  the  verses  of 
this,  the  "Quaker  Poet."  The  author  of 
"Barclay  of  Ury,"  "Maud  Muller"  and 
"Barbara  Frietchie,"  always  pure,  fervid 
and  direct,  will  be  remembered  when  many 
a  more  ambitious  writer  has  been  forgotten. 
John  G.  Whittier  was  born  at  Haver- 
hill, Massachusetts,  December  7,  1807,  of 
Quaker  parentage.  He  had  but  a  common- 
school  education  and  passed  his  boyhood 
days  upon  a  farm.  In  early  life  he  learned 
the  trade    of    shoemaker.     At   the   age   of 


68 


COMPEXDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


eighteen  he  began  to  write  verses  for  the 
Haverhill  ■'  Gazette."  He  spent  two  years 
after  that  at  the  Haverhill  academy,  after 
which,  in  1829,  he  became  editor  of  the 
"American  Manufacturer,"  at  Boston.  In 
1830  he  succeeded  George  D.  Prentice  as 
editor  of  the  "New  England  Weekly  Re- 
view," but  the  following  year  returned  to 
Haverhill  and  engaged  in  farming.  In  1832 
and  in  1836  he  edited  the  "  Gazette."  In 
1835  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  legis- 
lature, serving  two  years.  In  1 836  he  became 
secretary  of  the  Anti-slavery  Society  of  Phil- 
adelphia. In  1838  and  1839  he  edited  the 
"  Pennsylvania  Freeman,"  but  in  the  latter 
year  the  office  was  sacked  and  burned  by  a 
mob.  In  1840  Whittier  settled  at  Ames- 
bury,  Massachusetts.  In  1847  he  became 
corresponding  editor  of  the  "  National  Era," 
an  anti-slavery  paper  published  at  Washing- 
ton, and  contributed  to  its  columns  many  of 
his  anti-slavery  and  other  favorite  lyrics. 
Mr.  Whittier  lived  for  many  years  in  retire- 
ment of  Quaker  simplicity,  publishing  several 
volumes  of  poetry  which  have  raised  him  to 
a  high  place  among  American  authors  and 
brought  to  him  the  love  and  admiration  of 
his  countrymen.  In  the  electoral  colleges 
of  i860  and  1864  Whittier  was  a  member. 
Much  of  his  time  after  1876  was  spent  at 
Oak  Knoll,  Danvers,  Massachusetts,  but 
still  retained  his  residence  at  Amesbury. 
He  never  married.  His  death  occurred  Sep- 
tember 7,  1892. 

The  more  prominent  prose  writings  of 
John  G.  Whittier  are  as  follows:  "Legends 
of  New  England,"  "Justice  and  Expediency, 
or  Slavery  Considered  with  a  View  to  Its  Abo- 
htion,"  "The  Stranger  in  Lowell,"  "Super- 
naturalism  in  New  England,"  "  Leaves  from 
Margaret  Smith's  Journal,"  "Old  Portraits 
and  Modern  Sketches"  and  "  Literary 
Sketches." 


DAVID  DIXON  PORTER,  illustrious  as 
admiral  of  the  United  States  navy,  and 
famous  as  one  of  the  most  able  naval  offi- 
cers of  America,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania, 
June  8,  18 14.  His  father  was  also  a  naval 
officer  of  distinction,  who  left  the  service  of 
the  United  States  to  become  commander  of 
the  naval  forces  of  Mexico  during  the  war 
between  that  country  and  Spain,  and 
through  this  fact  David  Dixon  Porter  was 
appointed  a  midshipman  in  the  Mexican 
navy.  Two  years  later  David  D.  Porter 
joined  the  United  States  navy  as  midship- 
man, rose  in  rank  and  eighteen  years  later 
as  a  lieutenant  he  is  found  actively  engaged 
in  all  the  operations  of  our  navy  along  the 
east  coast  of  Mexico.  When  the  Civil  war 
broke  out  Porter,  then  a  commander,  was 
dispatched  in  the  Powhattan  to  the  relief  of 
Fort  Pickens,  Florida.  This  duty  accom- 
plished, he  fitted  out  a  mortar  flotilla  for 
the  reduction  of  the  forts  guarding  the  ap- 
proaches to  New  Orleans,  which  it  was  con- 
sidered of  vital  importance  for  the  govern- 
ment to  get  possession  of.  After  the  fall  of 
New  Orleans  the  mortar  flotilla  was  actively 
engaged  at  Vicksburg,  and  in  the  fall  of 
1862  Porter  was  made  a  rear-admiral  and 
placed  in  command  of  all  the  naval  forces 
on  the  western  rivers  above  New  Orleans. 
The  ability  of  the  man  was  now  con- 
spicuously manifested,  not  only  in  the  bat- 
tles in  which  he  was  engaged,  but  also  in 
the  creation  of  a  formidable  fleet  out  of 
river  steamboats,  which  he  covered  with 
such  plating  as  they  would  bear.  In  1864 
he  was  transferred  to  the  Atlantic  coast  to 
command  the  naval  forces  destined  to  oper- 
ate against  the  defences  of  Wilmington, 
North  Carolina,  and  on  Jan.  15,  1865,  the 
fall  of  Fort  Fisher  was  hailed  by  the  country 
as  a  glorious  termination  of  his  arduous  war 
service.     In  1 866  he  was  made  vice-admiral 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


6i. 


and  appointed  superintendent  of  the  Naval 
Academy.  On  the  death  of  Farragut,  in 
1870,  he  succeeded  that  able  man  as  ad- 
miral of  the  navy.  His  death  occurred  at 
Washington,  February  13,  1891. 


NATHANIEL  GREENE  was  one  of  the 
best  known  of  the  distinguished  gen- 
erals who  led  the  Continental  soldiery 
against  the  hosts  of  Great  Britain  during 
the  Revolutionary  war.  He  was  the  son 
of  Quaker  parents,  and  was  born  at  War- 
wick, Rhode  Island,  May  27,  1742.  In 
youth  he  acquired  a  good  education,  chiefly 
by  his  own  efforts,  as  he  was  a  tireless 
reader.  In  1770  he  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  Assembly  of  his  native  state.  The 
news  of  the  battle  of  Lexington  stirred 
his  blood,  and  he  offered  his  services  to 
the  government  of  the  colonies,  receiving 
the  rank  of  brigadier-general  and  the  com- 
mand of  the  troops  from  Rhode  Island. 
He  led  them  to  the  camp  at  Cambridge, 
and  for  thus  violating  the  tenets  of  their 
faith,  he  was  cast  out  of  the  Society  of 
Friends,  or  Quakers.  He  soon  won  the  es- 
teem of  General  Washington.      In  August, 

1776,  Congress  promoted  Greene  to  the 
rank  of  major-general,  and  in  the  battles  of 
Trenton  and  Princeton  he  led  a  division. 
At  the  battle  of  Brandy  wine,  September  11, 

1777,  he  greatly  distinguished  himself,  pro- 
tecting the  retreat  of  the  Continentals  by 
his  firm  stand.  At  the  battle  of  German- 
town,  October  4,  the  same  year,  he  com- 
manded the  left  wing  of  the  army  with 
credit.  In  March,  1778,  he  reluctantly  ac- 
cepted the  office  of  quartermaster-general, 
but  only  with  the  understanding  that  his 
rank  in  the  army  would  not  be  affected  and 
that  in  action  he  should  retain  his  command. 
On  the  bloody  field  of  Monmouth,  June  28, 

1778,  he  commanded  the  right  wing,  as  he 


did  at  the  battle  of  Tiverton  Heights.  He 
was  in  command  of  the  army  in  1780,  dur- 
ing the  absence  of  Washington,  and  was 
president  of  the  court-martial  that  tried  and 
condemned  Major  Andre.  After  General 
Gates'  defeat  at  Camden,  North  Carolina,  in 
the  summer  of  1780,  General  Greene  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  command  of  the  southern  army. 
He  sent  out  a  force  under  General  Morgan 
who  defeated  General  Tarleton  at  Cowpens, 
January  17,  1781.  On  joining  his  lieuten- 
ant, in  February,  he  found  himself  out  num- 
bered by  the  British  and  retreated  in  good 
order  to  Virginia,  but  being  reinforced  re- 
turned to  North  Carolina  where  he  fought 
the  battle  of  Guilford,  and  a  few  days  later 
compelled  the  retreat  of  Lord  Cornwallis. 
The  British  were  followed  by  Greene  part 
of  the  way,  when  the  American  army 
marched  into  South  Carolina.  After  vary- 
ing success  he  fought  the  battle  of  Eutaw 
Springs,  September  8,  1781.  For  thelatter 
battle  and  its  glorious  consequences,  which 
virtually  closed  the  war  in  the  Carolinas, 
Greene  received  a  medal  from  Congress  and 
many  valuable  grants  of  land  from  the 
colonies  of  North  and  South  Carolina  and 
Georgia.  On  the  return  of  peace,  after  a 
year  spent  in  Rhode  Island,  General  Greene 
took  up  his  residence  on  his  estate  near 
Savannah,  Georgia,  where  he  died  June  19, 
1786. 

EDGAR  ALLEN  POE.— Among  the 
many  great  literary  men  whom  this 
country  has  produced,  there  is  perhaps  no 
name  more  widely  known  than  that  of  Ed- 
gar Allen  Poe.  He  was  born  at  Boston, 
Massachusetts,  February  19,  1809.  His 
parents  were  David  and  Elizabeth  (Arnold) 
Poe,  both  actors,  the  mother  said  to  have 
been  the  natural  daughter  of  Benedict  Ar- 
nold.    The  parents  died  while   Edgar  was 


70 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


still  a  child  and  he  was  adopted  by  John 
Allen,  a  wealthy  and  influential  resident  of 
Richmond,  Virginia.  Edgar  was  sent  to 
school  at  Stoke,  Newington,  England, 
where  he  remained  until  he  was  thirteen 
years  old;  was  prepared  for  college  by  pri- 
vate tutors,  and  in  1826  entered  the  Virginia 
University  at  Charlottesville.  He  made 
rapid  progress  in  his  studies,  and  was  dis- 
tinguished for  his  scholarship,  but  was  ex- 
pelled within  a  year  for  gambling,  after 
which  for  several  years  he  resided  with  his 
benefactor  at  Richmond.  He  then  went  to 
Baltimore,  and  in  1829  published  a  71 -page 
pamphlet  called  "Al  Aaraaf,  Tamerlane 
and  Minor  Poems,"  which,  however,  at- 
tracted no  attention  and  contained  nothing 
of  particular  merit.  In  1830  he  was  ad- 
mitted as  a  cadet  at  West  Point,  but  was 
expelled  about  a  year  later  for  irregulari- 
ties. Returning  to  the  home  of  Mr.  Allen 
he  remained  for  some  time,  and  finally 
quarrelled  with  his  benefactor  and  enlisted 
as  a  private  soldier  in  the  U.  S.  army,  but 
remained  only  a  short  time.  Soon  after 
this,  in  1833,  Poe  won  several  prizes  for 
literary  work,  and  as  a  result  secured  the 
position  of  editor  of  frhe  ' '  Southern  Liter- 
ary Messenger,"  at  Richmond,  Virginia. 
Here  he  married  his  cousin,  Virginia 
Clemm,  who  clung  to  him  with  fond  devo- 
tion through  all  the  many  trials  that  came 
to  them  until  her  death  in  January,  1848. 
Poe  remained  with  the  "Messenger"  for 
several  years,  writing  meanwhile  many 
tales,  reviews,  essays  and  poems.  He  aft- 
erward earned  a  precarious  living  by  his 
pen  in  New  York  for  a  time;  in  1839  be- 
came editor  of  "Burton's  Gentleman's 
Magazine"  ;  in  1840  to  1842  was  editor  of 
"  Graham's  Magazine,"  and  drifted  around 
from  one  place  to  another,  returning  to 
New    York    in    1844.       In    1845    his    best 


known  production,  "The  Raven,"  appeared 
in  the  "Whig  Review, "  and  gained  him  a 
reputation  which  is  now  almost  world-wide. 
He  then  acted  as  editor  and  contributor  on 
various  magazines  and  periodicals  until  the 
death  of  his  faithful  wife  in  1848.  In  the 
summer  of  1849  he  was  engaged  to  be  mar- 
ried to  a  lady  of  fortune  in  Richmond,  Vir- 
ginia, and  the  day  set  for  the  wedding. 
He  started  for  New  York  to  make  prepara- 
tions for  the  event,  but,  it  is  said,  began 
drinking,  was  attacked  with  dilirium  tre- 
mens in  Baltimore  and  was  removed  to  a 
hospital,  where  he  died,  October  7,  1849. 
The  works  of  Edgar  Allen  Poe  have  been 
repeatedly  published  since  his  death,  both 
in  Europe  and  America,  and  have  attained 
an  immense  popularity. 


HORATIO  GATES,  one  of  the  prom- 
inent figures  in  the  American  war  for 
Independence,  was  not  a  native  of  the  col- 
onies but  was  born  in  England  in  1728.  In 
early  life  he  entered  the  British  army  and 
attained  the  rank  of  major.  At  the  capture 
of  Martinico  he  %vas  aide  to  General  Monk- 
ton  and  after  the  peace  of  Aix  la  Chapelle, 
in  1748,  he  was  among  the  first  troops  that 
landed  at  Halifax.  He  was  with  Braddock 
at  his  defeat  in  1755,  and  was  there  severe- 
ly wounded.  At  the  conclusion  of  the 
French  and  Indian  war  Gates  purchased  an 
estate  in  Virginia,  and,  resigning  from  the 
British  army,  settled  down  to  life  as  a 
planter.  .  On  the  breaking  out  of  the  Rev- 
olutionary war  he  entered  the  service  of  the 
colonies  and  was  made  adjutant-general  of 
the  Continental  forces  with  the  rank  of 
brigadier-general.  He  accompanied  Wash- 
ington when  he  assumed  the  command  ol 
the  army.  In  June,  1776,  he  was  appoint- 
ed to  the  command  of  the  army  of  Canada, 
but  was  superseded  in  May  of  the  following 


COAIPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


71 


year  by  General  Schuyler.  In  August, 
1777,  however,  the  command  of  that  army 
was  restored  to  General  Gates  and  Septem- 
ber 19  he  fought  the  battle  of  Bemis 
Heights.  October  7,  the  same  year,  he 
won  the  battle  of  Stillwater,  or  Saratoga, 
and  October  17  received  the  surrender  of 
General  Burgoyne  and  his  army,  the  pivotal 
point  of  the  war.  This  gave  him  a  brilliant 
reputation.  June  13,  1780,  General  Gates 
was  appointed  to  the  command  of  the 
southern  military  division,  and  August  16  of 
that  year  suffered  defeat  at  the  hands  of 
Lord  Cornwallis,  at  Camden,  North  Car- 
olina. In  December  following  he  was 
superseded  in  the  command  by  General 
Nathaniel  Greene. 

On  the  signing  of  the  peace  treaty  Gen- 
eral Gates  retired  to  his  plantation  in 
Berkeley  county,  Virginia,  where  he  lived 
until  1790,  when,  emancipating  all  his 
slaves,  he  removed  to  New  York  City,  where 
he  resided  until  his  death,  April   10,  1806. 


LYMAN  J.  GAGE.— When  President  Mc- 
Kinley  selected  Lyman  J.  Gage  as  sec- 
retary of  the  treasury  he  chose  one  of  the 
most  eminent  financiers  of  the  century.  Mr. 
Gage  was  born  June  28,  1836,  at  De  Ruy- 
ter,  Madison  county,  New  York,  and  was  of 
English  descent.  He  went  to  Rome,  New 
York,  with  his  parents  when  he  was  ten 
years  old,  and  received  his  early  education 
in  the  Rome  Academy.  Mr.  Gage  gradu- 
ated from  the  same,  and  his  first  position 
was  that  of  a  clerk  in  the  post  office.  When 
he  was  fifteen  years  of  age  he  was  detailed 
as  mail  agent  on  the  Rome  &  Watertown 
R.  R.  until  the  postmaster-general  appointed 
regular  agents  for  the  route.  In  i  S54,  when 
he  was  in  his  eighteenth  year,  he  entered 
the  Oneida  Central  Bank  at  Rome  as  a 
junior  clerk  at  a  salary  of  one  hundred  dol- 


lars per  year.  Being  unable  at  the  end  of 
one  year  and  a  half's  service  to  obtain  an 
increase  in  salary  he  determined  to  seek  a 
wider  field  of  labor.  Mr.  Gage  set  out  in 
the  fall  of  1855  and  arrived  in  Chicago, 
Illinois,  on  October  3,  and  soon  obtained  a 
situation  in  Nathan  Cobb's  lumber  yard  and 
planing  mill.  Ke  remained  there  three  years 
as  a  bookkeeper,  teamster,  etc.,  and  left  on 
account  of  change  in  the  management.  But 
not  being  able  to  find  anything  else  to  do  he 
accepted  the  position  of  night  watchman  in 
the  place  for  a  period  of  six  weeks.  He 
then  became  a  bookkeeper  for  the  Mer- 
chants Saving,  Loan  and  Trust  Company  at 
a  salary  of  five  hundred  dollars  per  year. 
He  rapidly  advanced  in  the  service  of  this 
company  and  in  1868  he  was  made  cashier. 
Mr.  Gage  was  next  offered  the  position  of 
cashier  of  the  First  National  Bank  and  ac- 
cepted the  offer.  He  became  the  president 
of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Chicago  Jan- 
uary 24,  1 89 1,  and  in  1897  he  was  appointed 
secretary  of  the  treasury.  His  ability  as  a 
financier  and  the  prominent  part  he  took  in 
the  discussion  of  financial  affairs  while  presi- 
dent of  the  great  Chicago  bank  gave  him  a 
national  reputation. 


ANDREW  JACKSON,  the  seventh  pres- 
ident of  the  United  States,  was  born 
at  the  Waxhaw  settlement,  Union  county, 
North  Carolina,  March  15,  1767.  His 
parents  were  Scotch-Irish,  natives  of  Carr- 
ickfergus,  who  came  to  this  country  in  1665 
and  settled  on  Twelve-Mile  creek,  a  trib- 
utary of  the  Catawba.  His  father,  who 
was  a  poor  farm  laborer,  died  shortly  be- 
fore Andrew's  birth,  when  the  mother  re- 
moved to  Waxhaw,  where  some  relatives 
lived.  Andrew's  education  was  very  limited, 
he  showing  no  aptitude  for  study.  In  1780 
when  but  thirteen  years  of  age,  he  and    his 


72 


COMPENDIUM    OF    BIOGRArHT. 


brother  Robert  volunteered  to  serve  in  the 
American  partisan  troops  under  General 
Sumter,  and  witnessed  the  defeat  at  Hang- 
ing Rock.  The  following  year  the  boys 
were  both  taken  prisoners  by  the  enemy 
and  endured  brutal  treatment  from  the 
British  officers  while  confined  at  Camden. 
They  both  took  the  small  pox,  when  the 
mother  procured  their  exchange  but  Robert 
died  shortly  after.  The  mother  died  in 
Charleston  of  ship  fever,  the  same  year. 

Young  Jackson,  now  in  destitute  cir- 
cumstances, worked  for  about  six  months  in 
a  saddler's  shop,  and  then  turned  school 
master,  although  but  little  fitted  for  the 
position.  He  now  began  to  think  of  a  pro- 
fession and  at  Salisbury,  North  Carolina, 
entered  upon  the  study  of  law,  but  from  all 
accounts  gave  but  little  attention  to  his 
books,  being  one  of  the  most  roistering, 
rollicking  fellows  in  that  town, -indulging  in 
many  of  the  vices  of  his  time.  In  1786  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  in  1788  re- 
moved to  Nashville,  then  in  North  Carolina, 
with  the  appointment  of  public  prosecutor, 
then  an  office  of  little  honor  or  emolument, 
but  requiring  much  nerve,  for  which  young 
Jackson  was  already  noted.  Two  years 
later,  when  Tennessee  became  a  territory 
he  was  appointed  by  Washington  to  the 
position  of  United  States  attorney  for  that 
district.  In  1791  he  married  Mrs.  Rachel 
Robards,  a  daughter  of  Colonel  John  Don- 
elson,  who  was  supposed  at  the  time  to 
have  been  divorced  from  her  former  hus- 
band that  year  by  act  of  legislature  of  Vir- 
ginia, but  two  years  later,  on  finding  that 
this  divorce  was  not  legal,  and  a  new  bill  of 
separation  being  granted  by  the  courts  of 
Kentucky,  they  were  remarried  in  1793. 
This  was  used  as  a  handle  by  his  oppo- 
nents in  the  political  campaign  afterwards. 
Jackson  was  untiring  in  his  efforts  as  United 


States  attorney  and  obtained  much  influence. 
He  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  Constitu- 
tional Convention  of  1796,  when  Tennessee 
became  a  state  and  was  its  first  represent- 
ative in  congress.  In  1797  he  was  chosen 
United  States  senator,  but  resigned  the  fol- 
lowing year  to  accept  a  seat  on  the  supreme 
court  of  Tennessee  which  he  held  until 
1804.  He  was  elected  major-general  of 
the  militia  of  that  state  in  1801.  In  1804, 
being  unsuccessful  in  obtaining  the  govern- 
orship of  Louisiana,  the  new  territory,  he 
retired  from  public  life  to  the  Hermitage, 
his  plantation.  On  the  outbreak  of  the 
war  with  Great  Britain  in  18 12  he  tendered 
his  services  to  the  government  and  went  to 
New  Orleans  with  the  Tennessee  troops  in 
January,  181 3.  In  March  of  that  year  he 
was  ordered  to  disband  his  troops,  but  later 
marched  against  the  Cherokee  Indians,  de- 
feating them  at  Talladega,  Emuckfaw 
and  Tallapoosa.  Having  now  a  national 
reputation,  he  was  appointed  major-general 
in  the  United  States  army  and  was  sent 
against  the  British  in  Florida.  He  con- 
ducted the  defence  of  Mobile  and  seized 
Pensacola.  He  then  went  with  his  troops 
to  New  Orleans,  Louisiana,  where  he  gained 
the  famous  victory  of  January  8,  18 15.  In 
1817-18  he  conducted  a  war  against  the 
Seminoles,  and  in  1821  was  made  governor 
of  the  new  territory  of  Florida.  In  1823 
he  was  elected  United  States  senator,  but 
in  1824  was  the  contestant  with  J.  Q.  Adams 
for  the  presidency.  Four  years  later  he 
was  elected  president,  and  served  two  terms. 
In  1832  he  took  vigorous  action  against  the 
nullifiers  of  South  Carolina,  and  the  next 
year  removed  the  public  money  from  the 
United  States  bank.  During  his  second 
term  the  national  debt  was  extinguished.  At 
the  close  of  his  administration  he  retired  to 
the  Hermitage,  where  he  died  June  8,  1845. 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


78 


ANDREW  CARNEGIE,  the  largest  manu- 
facturer of  pig-iron,  steel  rails  and 
coke  in  the  world,  well  deserves  a  place 
among  America's  celebrated  men.  He  was 
born  November  25,  1835,  ^-t  Dunfermline, 
Scotland,  and  emigrated  to  the  United  States 
with  his  father  in  1845,  settling  in  Pittsburg. 
Two  years  later  Mr.  Carnegie  began  his 
business  career  by  attending  a  small  station- 
ary engine.  This  work  did  not  suit  him  and 
he  became  a  telegraph  messenger  with  the 
Atlantic  and  Ohio  Co.,  and  later  he  became 
an  operator,  and  was  one  of  the  first  to  read 
telegraphic  signals  by  sound.  Mr.  Carnegie 
was  afterward  sent  to  the  Pittsburg  office 
of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Co.,  as  clerk 
to  the  superintendent  and  manager  of  the 
telegraph  lines.  While  in  this  position  he 
made  the  acquaintance  of  Mr.  Woodruff,  the 
inventor  of  the  sleeping-car.  Mr.  Carnegie 
immediately  became  interested  and  was  one 
of  the  organizers  of  the  company  for  its  con- 
struction after  the  railroad  had  adopted  it, 
and  the  success  of  this  venture  gave  him  the 
nucleus  of  his  wealth.  He  was  promoted 
to  the  superintendency  of  the  Pittsburg 
division  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  and 
about  this  time  was  one  of  the  syndicate 
that  purchased  the  Storey  farm  on  Oil  Creek 
which  cost  forty  thousand  dollars  and  in  one 
year  it  yielded  over  one  million  dollars  in 
cash  dividends.  Mr.  Carnegie  later  was  as- 
sociated with  others  in  establishing  a  rolling- 
mill,  and  from  this  has  grown  the  most  ex- 
tensive and  complete  system  of  iron  and 
steel  industries  ever  controlled  by  one  indi- 
vidual, embracing  the  Edgar  Thomson 
Steel  Works;  Pittsburg  Bessemer  Steel 
Works;  Lucy  Furnaces;  Union  Iron  Mills; 
Union  Mill;  Keystone  Bridge  Works;  Hart- 
man  Steel  Works;  Frick  Coke  Co.;  Scotia 
Ore  Mines.  Besides  directing  his  immense 
iron  industries  he  owned  eighteen  English 


newspapers  which  he  ran  in  the  interest  or 
the  Radicals.  He  has  also  devoted  large 
sums  of  money  to  benevolent  and  educational 
purposes.  In  1879  he  erected  commodious 
swimming  baths  for  the  people  of  Dunferm- 
line, Scotland,  and  in  the  following  year 
gave  forty  thousand  dollars  for  a  free  library. 
Mr.  Carnegie  gave  fifty  thousand  dollars  to 
Bellevue  Hospital  Medical  College  in  1884 
to  found  what  is  now  called  ' '  Carnegie  Lab- 
oratory,"  and  in  1885  gave  five  hundred 
thousand  dollars  to  Pittsburg  for  a  public 
library.  He  also  gave  two  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  dollars  for  a  music  hall  and  library 
in  Allegheny  City  in  1886,  and  two  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  dollars  to  Edinburgh,  Scot- 
land, for  a  free  library.  He  also  established 
free  libraries  at  Braddock,  Pennsylvania, 
and  other  places  for  the  benefit  of  his  em- 
ployes. He  also  published  the  following 
works,  "An  American  Four-in-hand  in 
Britain;"  "  Round  the  World;"  "Trium- 
phant Democracy;  or  Fifty  Years'  March  of 
the  Republic." 


GEORGE  H.  THOMAS,  the  "  Rock  of 
Chickamauga,"  one  of  the  best  known 
commanders  during  the  late  Civil  war,  was 
born  in  Southampton  county,  Virginia,  July 
31,  1 8 16,  his  parents  being  of  Welsh  and 
French  origin  respectively.  In  1836  young 
Thomas  was  appointed  a  cadet  at  the  Mili- 
tary Academy,  at  West  Point,  from  which 
he  graduated  in  1840,  and  was  promoted  to 
the  office  of  second  lieutenant  in  the  Third 
Artillery.  Shortly  after,  with  his  company, 
he  went  to  Florida,  where  he  served  for  two 
years  against  the  Seminole  Indians.  In 
1 84 1  he  was  brevetted  first  lieutenant  for 
gallant  conduct.  He  remained  in  garrison 
in  the  south  and  southwest  until  1845,  at 
which  date  with  the  regiment  he  joined  the 
army  under  General  Taylor,  and  participat 


74 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPlir. 


ed  in  *he  defense  of  Fort  Brown,  the  storm- 
ing of  Monterey  and  the  battle  of  Buena 
Vista.  After  the  latter  event  he  remained 
in  garrison,  now  brevetted  major,  until  the 
close  of  the  Mexican  war.  After  a  year 
spent  in  Florida,  Captain  Thomas  was  or- 
dered to  West  Point,  where  he  served  as  in- 
structor until  1854.  He  then  was  trans- 
ferred to  California.  In  May,  1855,  Thom- 
as was  appointed  major  of  the  Second  Cav- 
alry, with  whom  he  spent  five  years  in  Texas. 
Although  a  southern  man,  and  surrounded 
by  brother  officers  who  all  were  afterwards 
in  the  Confederate  service,  Major  Thomas 
never  swerved  from  his  allegiance  to  the 
government.  A.  S.  Johnston  was  the  col- 
onel of  the  regiment,  R.  E.  Lee  the  lieuten- 
ant-colonel, and  W.  J.  Hardee,  senior  ma- 
jor, while  among  the  younger  officers  were 
Hood,  Fitz  Hugh  Lee,  Van  Demand  Kirby 
Smith.  When  these  officers  left  the  regi- 
ment to  take  up  arms  for  the  Confederate 
cause  he  remained  with  it,  and  April  17th, 
1 86 1,  crossed  the  Potomac  into  his  native 
state,  at  its  head.  After  taking  an  active  part 
in  the  opening  scenes  of  the  war  on  the  Poto- 
mac and  Shenandoah,  in  August,  1861,  he 
was  promoted  to  be  brigadier-general  and 
transferred  to  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland. 
January  19-20,  1862,  Thomas  defeated 
Crittenden  at  Mill  Springs,  and  this  brought 
him  into  notice  and  laid  the  foundation  of 
his  fame.  He  continued  in  command  of  his 
division  until  September  20,  1862,  except 
during  the  Corinth  campaign  when  he  com- 
manded the  right  wing  of  the  Army  of  the 
Tennessee.  He  w-as  in  command  of  the 
latter  at  the  battle  of  Perryville,  also,  Octo- 
ber 8,  1862. 

On  the  division  of  the  Army  of  the  Cum- 
berland into  corps,  January  9,  1863,  Gen- 
eral Thomas  was  assigned  to  the  command 
of  the  Fourteenth,  and  at  the  battle  of  Chick- 


amauga,  after  the  retreat  of  Rosecrans, 
firmly  held  his  own  against  the  hosts  of  Gen- 
eral Bragg.  A  history  of  his  services  from 
that  on  would  be  a  history  of  the  war  in  the 
southwest.  On  September  27,  1864,  Gen- 
eral Thomas  was  given  command  in  Ten- 
nessee, and  after  organizing  his  army,  de- 
feated General  Hood  in  the  battle  of  Nash- 
ville, December  15  and  16,  1864.  Much 
complaint  was  made  before  this  on  account 
of  what  they  termed  Thomas'  slowness,  and 
he  was  about  to  be  superseded  because  he 
would  not  strike  until  he  got  ready,  but 
when  the  blow  was  struck  General  Grant 
was  the  first  to  place  on  record  this  vindica- 
tion of  Thomas'  judgment.  He  received  a 
vote  of  thanks  from  Congress,  and  from  the 
legislature  of  Tennessee  a  gold  medal.  Af- 
ter the  close  of  the  war  General  Thomas 
had  command  of  several  of  the  military  di- 
visions, and  died  at  San  Francisco,  Cali- 
fornia, March  28,  1870. 


GEORGE  BANCROFT,  one  of  the  most 
eminent  American  historians,  was  a 
native  of  Massachusetts,  born  at  W^orcester, 
October  3,  1800,  and  a  son  of  Aaron 
Bancroft,  D.  D.  The  father,  Aaron  Ban- 
croft, was  born  at  Reading,  Massachusetts, 
November  10,  1755.  He  graduated  at 
Harvard  in  1778,  became  a  minister,  and  for 
half  "Q  century  was  rated  as  one  of  the  ablest 
preachers  in  New  England.  He  was  also  a 
prolific  writer  and  published  a  number  of 
works  among  which  was  ' '  Life  of  George 
Washington."  Aaron  Bancroft  died  August 
19,  1839. 

The  subject  of  our  present  biography, 
George  Bancroft,  graduated  at  Harvard  in 
1817,  and  the  following  year  entered  the 
University  of  Gottingen,  where  he  studied 
history  and  philology  under  the  most  emi- 
nent teachers,  and  in  1820  received  the  de- 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


75 


Tree  of  doctor  of  philosophy  at  Gottingen. 
Upon  his  return  home  he  pubHshed  a  volume 
of  poems,  and  later  a  translation  of  Heeren's 
"Reflections  on  the  Politics  of  Ancient 
Greece."  In  1834  he  produced  the  first 
volume  of  his  "History  of  the  United 
States,"  this  being  followed  by  other  vol- 
umes at  different  intervals  later.  This  was 
his  greatest  work  and  ranks  as  the  highest 
authority,  taking  its  place  among  the  great- 
est of  American  productions. 

George  Bancroft  was  appointed  secretary 
of  the  navy  by  President  Polk  in  1845,  but 
resigned  in  1846  and  became  minister  pleni- 
potentiary to  England.  In  1849  he  retired 
from  public  life  and  took  up  his  residence  at 
Washington,  D.  C.  In  1867  he  was  ap- 
pointed United  States  minister  to  the  court  of 
Berlin  and  negotiated  the  treaty  by  which  Ger- 
mans coming  to  the  United  States  were  re- 
leased from  their  allegiance  to  the  govern- 
ment of  their  native  land.  In  1871  he  was 
minister  plenipotentiary  to  the  German  em- 
pire and  served  until  1874.  The  death  of 
George  Bancroft  occurred  January  17,  1891. 


GEORGE  GORDON  MEADE,  a  fa- 
mous Union  general,  was  born  at 
Cadiz,  Spain,  December  30,  181 5,  his  father 
being  United  States  naval  agent  at  that 
port.  After  receiving  a  good  education  he 
entered  the  West  Point  Military  Academy 
in  1 83 1.  From  here  he  was  graduated 
June  30,  1835,  and  received  the  rank  of 
second  lieutenant  of  artillery.  He  par- 
ticipated in  the  Seminole  war,  but  resigned 
from  the  army  in  October,  1836.  He  en- 
tered upon  the  profession  of  civil  engineer, 
which  he  followed  for  several  years,  part  of 
the  time  in  the  service  of  the  government  in 
making  surveys  of  the  mouth  of  the  Missis- 
sippi river.  His  report  and  results  of  some 
experiments    made  by  him  in  this    service 


gained  Meade  much  credit.  He  also  was 
employed  in  surveying  the  boundary  Ime  of 
Texas  and  the  northeastern  boundary  hne 
between  the  United  States  and  Canada. 
In  1842  he  was  reappointed  in  the  army  to 
the  position  of  second  lieutenant  of  engineers. 
During  the  Mexican  war  he  served  with  dis- 
tinction on  the  staff  of  General  Taylor  in 
the  battles  of  Palo  Alto,  Resaca  de  la  Palma 
and  the  storming  of  Monterey.  He  received 
his  brevet  of  first  lieutenant  for  the  latter 
action.  In  185 1  he  was  made  full  first 
lieutenant  in  his  corps;  a  captain  in  1856, 
and  major  soon  after.  At  the  close  of  the 
war  with  Mexico  he  was  employed  in  light- 
house construction  and  in  geodetic  surveys 
until  the  breaking  out  of  the  Rebellion,  in 
which  he  gained  great  reputation.  In 
August,  1 86 1,  he  was  made  brigadier-general 
of  volunteers  and  placed  in  command  of  the 
second  brigade  of  the  Pennsylvania  Reserves, 
a  division  of  the  First  Corps  in  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac.  In  the  campaign  of  1862, 
under  McClellan,  Meade  took  an  active 
part,  being  present  at  the  battles  of  Mechan- 
icsville,  Gaines'  Mill  and  Glendale,  in  the 
latter  of  which  he  was  severely  wounded. 
On  rejoining  his  command  he  was  given  a 
division  and  distinguished  himself  at  its  head 
in  the  battles  of  South  Mountain  and  Antie- 
tam.  During  the  latter,  on  the  wounding 
of  General  Hooker,  Meade  was  placed  in 
command  of  the  corps  and  was  himself 
slightly  wounded.  For  services  he  was 
promoted,  November,  1862,  to  the  rank 
of  major-general  of  volunteers.  On  the 
recovery  of  General  Hooker  General  Meade 
returned  to  his  division  and  in  December, 
1862,  at  Fredericksburg,  led  an  attack 
which  penetrated  Lee's  right  line  and  swept 
to  his  rear.  Being  outnumbered  and  un- 
supported, he  finally  was  driven  back.  The 
same   month    Meade    was    assigned  to  the 


70 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHV. 


ommaiid  of  the  Fifth  Corps,  and  at  Chan- 
ccllorsville  in  May,  1S63,  his  sagacity  and 
ability  so  struck  General  Hooker  that  when 
the  latter  asked  to  be  relieved  of  the  com- 
mand, in  June  of  the  same  year,  he  nomi- 
nated Meade  as  his  successor.  June  28, 
1863,  President  Lincoln  commissioned  Gen- 
eral Meade  commander-in-chief  of  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac,  then  scattered  and  moving 
hastily  through  Pennsylvania  to  the  great 
and  decisive  battlefield  at  Gettysburg,  at 
which  he  was  in  full  command.  With  the 
victory  on  those  July  days  the  name  of 
Meade  will  ever  be  associated.  From  that 
time  until  the  close  of  the  war  he  com- 
manded the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  In 
1864  General  Grant,  being  placed  at  the 
head  of  all  the  armies,  took  up  his  quarters 
with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  From  that 
time  until  the  surrender  of  Lee  at  Appo- 
matox  Meade's  ability  shone  conspicuously, 
and  his  tact  in  the  delicate  position  in  lead- 
ing his  army  under  the  eye  of  his  superior 
officer  commanded  the  respect  and  esteem 
of  General  Grant.  For  services  Meade  was 
promoted  to  the  rank  of  major-general,  and 
on  the  close  of  hostilities,  in  July,  1865, 
was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  military 
division  of  the  Atlantic,  with  headquarters 
at  Philadelphia.  This  post  he  held,  with 
the  exception  of  a  short  period  on  detached 
duty  in  Georgia,  until  his  death,  which  took 
place  November  6,  1872. 


DAVID  CROCKETT  was  a  noted  hunter 
and  scout,  and  also  one  of  the  earliest 
of  American  humorists.  He  was  born  Au- 
gust 17,  1786,  in  Tennessee,  and  was  one 
of  the  most  prominent  men  of  his  locality, 
serving  as  representative  in  congress  from 
1827  until  1 83 1.  He  attracted  consider- 
able notice  while  a  member  of  congress  and 
was  closely  associated  with  General  Jack- 


son, of  whom  he  was  a  personal  friend.  He 
went  to  Texas  and  enlisted  in  the  Texan 
army  at  the  time  of  the  revolt  of  Texas 
against  Mexico  and  gained  a  wide  reputa- 
tion as  a  scout.  He  was  one  of  the  famous 
one  hundred  and  forty  men  under  Colonel 
W.  B.  Travis  who  were  besieged  in  Fort 
Alamo,  near  San  Antonio,  Texas,  by  Gen- 
eral Santa  Anna  with  some  five  thousand 
Mexicans  on  February  23,  1836.  The  fort 
was  defended  for  ten  days,  frequent  assaults 
being  repelled  with  great  slaughter,  over 
one  thousand  Mexicans  being  killed  or 
wounded,  while  not  a  man  in  the  fort  was 
injured.  Finally,  on  March  6,  three  as- 
saults were  made,  and  in  the  hand-to-hand 
fight  that  followed  the  last,  the  Texans  were 
wofully  outnumbered  and  overpowered. 
They  fought  desperately  with  clubbed  mus- 
kets till  only  SL\  were  left  alive,  including 
W.  B.  Travis,  David  Crockett  and  James 
Bowie.  These  surrendered  under  promise 
of  protection;  but  when  they  were  brought 
before  Santa  Anna  he  ordered  them  all  to 
be  cut  to  pieces. 


HENRY  WATTERSON,  one  of  the  most 
conspicuous  figures  in  the  history  of 
American  journalism,  was  born  at  Wash- 
ington, District  of  Columbia,  February  16, 
1840.  His  boyhood  days  were  mostly  spent 
in  the  city  of  his  birth,  where  his  father, 
Harvey  M.  Watterson,  was  editor  of  the 
"Union,"  a  well  known  journal. 

Owing  to  a  weakness  of  the  eyes,  which 
interfered  with  a  systematic  course  of  stud}', 
young  Watterson  was  educated  almost  en- 
tirely at  home.  A  successful  college  career 
was  out  of  the  question,  but  he  acquired  a 
good  knowledge  of  music,  literature  and  art 
from  private  tutors,  but  the  most  valuable 
part  of  the  training  he  received  was  by  as- 
sociating with  his  father  and  the  throng  ot 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


public  men  whom  he  met  in  Washington 
in  the  stirring  days  immediately  preceding 
the  Civil  war.  He  began  his  journalistic 
career  at  an  early  age  as  dramatic  and 
musical  critic,  and  in  1858,  became  editor 
of  the  "Democratic  Review"  and  at  the 
same  time  contributed  to  the  "States," 
a  journal  of  liberal  opinions  published  in 
Washington.  In  this  he  remained  until 
the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  when  the 
"States,"  opposing  the  administration,  was 
suppressed,  and  young  Watterson  removed 
to  Tennessee.  He  next  appears  as  editor 
of  the  Nashville  "Republican  Banner,"  the 
most  influential  paper  in  the  state  at  that 
time.  After  the  occupation  of  Nashville  by 
the  Federal  troops,  Watterson  served  as  a 
volunteer  staff  officer  in  the  Confederate 
service  until  the  close  of  the  war,  with  the 
exception  of  a  year  spent  in  editing  the 
Chattanooga  "Rebel."  On  the  close  of 
the  war  he  returned  to  Nashville  and  re- 
sumed his  connection  with  the  "Banner." 
After  a  trip  to  Europe  he  assumed  control 
of  the  Louisville  "Journal,"  which  he  soon 
combined  with  the  "Courier"  and  the 
"Democrat"  of  that  place,  founding  the 
well-known  "Courier-Journal,"  the  first 
number  of  which  appeared  November  8, 
1868.  Mr.  Watterson  also  represented  his 
district  in  congress  for  several  years. 


PATRICK  SARSFIELD  GILMORE, 
one  of  the  most  successful  and  widely 
known  bandmasters  and  musicians  of  the 
last  half  century  in  America,  was  born  in 
Ballygar,  Ireland,  on  Christmas  day,  1829. 
He  attended  a  public  school  until  appren- 
ticed to  a  wholesale  merchant  at  Athlone, 
of  the  brass  band  of  which  town  he  soon 
became  a  member.  His  passion  for  music 
conflicting  with  the  duties  of  a  mercantile 
life,  his  position  as  clerk  was  exchanged  for 


that  of  musical  instructor  to  the  young  sons 
of  his  employer.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  he 
sailed  for  America  and  two  days  after  his 
arrival  in  Boston  was  put  in  charge  of  the 
band  instrument  department  of  a  prominent 
music  house.  In  the  interests  of  the  pub- 
lications of  this  house  he  organized  a  minstrel 
company  known  as  "Ordway's  Eolians," 
with  which  he  first  achieved  success  as  a 
cornet  soloist.  Later  on  he  was  called  the 
best  E-flat  cornetist  in  the  United  States. 
He  became  leader,  successively,  of  the  Suf- 
folk, Boston  Brigade  and  Salem  bands. 
During  his  connection  with  the  latter  he 
inaugurated  the  famous  Fourth  of  July  con- 
certs on  Boston  Common,  since  adopted  as 
a  regular  programme  for  the  celebration  of 
Independence  Day.  In  1858  Mr.  Gilmore 
founded  the  organization  famous  thereafter 
as  Gilmore's  Band.  At  the  outbreak  of  the 
Civil  war  this  band  was  attached  to  the 
Twenty-Fourth  ,  Massachusetts  Infantry. 
Later,  when  the  economical  policy  of  dis- 
pensing with  music  had  proved  a  mistake, 
Gilmore  was  entrusted  with  the  re-organiza- 
tion of  state  military  bands,  and  upon  his 
arrival  at  New  Orleans  with  his  own  band 
was  made  bandmaster-general  by  General 
Banks.  On  the  inauguration  of  Governor 
Hahn,  later  on,  in  Lafayette  square.  New 
Orleans,  ten  thousand  children,  mostly  of 
Confederate  parents,  rose  to  the  baton  of 
Gilmore  and,  accompanied  by  six  hundred 
instruments,  thirty-six  guns  and  the  united 
fire  of  three  regiments  of  infantry,  sang  the 
Star-Spangled  Banner,  America  and  other 
patriotic  Union  airs.  In  June,  1867,  Mr. 
Gih:iore  conceived  a  national  musical  festi- 
val, which  was  denounced  as  a  chimerical 
undertaking,  but  he  succeeded  and  June  15. 
1869,  stepped  upon  the  stage  of  the  Boston 
Colosseum,  a  vast  structure  erected  for  the 
occasion,  and  in  the  presence  of  over  fifty 


(8 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


thousand  people  lifted  his  baton  over  an 
orchestra  of  one  thousand  and  a  chorus  of 
ten  thousand.  On  the  17th  of  June,  1872, 
he  opened  a  still  greater  festival  in  Boston, 
when,  in  addition  to  an  orchestra  of  two 
thousand  and  a  chorus  of  twenty  thousand, 
were  present  the  Band  of  the  Grenadier 
Guards,  of  London,  of  the  Garde  Repub- 
licaine,  of  Paris,  of  Kaiser  Franz,  of  Berlin, 
and  one  from  Dublin,  Ireland,  together  with 
Johann  Strauss,  Franz  Abt  and  many  other 
soloists,  vocal  and  instrumental.  Gilmore's 
death  occurred  September  24,  1892. 


MARTIN  VAN  BUREN  was  the  eighth 
president  of  the  United  States,  1837 
to  1841.  He  was  of  Dutch  extraction,  and 
his  ancestors  were  among  the  earliest  set- 
tlers on  the  banks  of  the  Hudson.  He  was 
born  December  5,  1782,  at  Kinderhook, 
New  York.  Mr.  Van  Buren  took  up  the 
study  of  law  at  the  age  of  fourteen  and  took 
an  active  part  in  political  matters  before  he 
had  attained  his  majority.  He  commenced 
the  practice  of  law  in  1803  at  his  native 
town,  and  in  1809  he  removed  to  Hudson, 
Columbia  county,  New  York,  where  he 
spent  seven  years  gaining  strength  and  wis- 
dom from  his  contentions  at  the  bar  with 
some  of  the  ablest  men  of  the  profession. 
Mr.  Van  Buren  was  elected  to  the  state 
senate,  and  from  181  5  until  18 19  he  was  at- 
torney-general of  the  state.  He  was  re- 
elected to  the  senate  in  18 16,  and  in  18 18 
he  was  one  of  the  famous  clique  of  politi- 
cians known  as  the  "Albany  regency." 
Mr.  Van  Buren  was  a  member  of  the  con- 
vention for  the  revision  of  the  state  consti- 
tution, in  1821.  In  the  same  year  he  was 
elected  to  the  United  States  senate  and 
served  his  term  in  a  manner  that  caused  his 
re-election  to  that  body  in  1827,  but  re- 
signed the  following  year    as  he  had  been 


elected  governor  of  New  York.  Mr.  Van 
Buren  was  appointed  by  President  Jackson  as 
secretary  of  state  in  March,  1829,  but  resigned 
in  1 83 1,  and  during  the  recess  of  congress 
he  was  appointed  minister  to  England. 
The  senate,  however,  when  it  convened  in 
December  refused  to  ratify  the  appointment. 
In  May,  1832,  he  was  nominated  by  the 
Democrats  as  their  candidate  for  vice-presi- 
dent on  the  ticket  with  Andrew  Jackson, 
and  he  was  elected  in  the  following  Novem- 
ber. He  received  the  nomination  to  suc- 
ceed President  Jackson  in  1836,  as  the 
Democratic  candidate,  and  in  the  electoral 
college  he  received  one  hundred  and  seventy 
votes  out  of  two  hundred  and  eighty-three, 
and  was  inaugurated  March  4,  1837.  His 
administration  was  begun  at  a  time  of  great 
business  depression,  and  unparalled  financial 
distress,  which  caused  the  suspension  of 
specie  payments  by  the  banks.  Nearly 
every  bank  in  the  country  was  forced  to 
suspend  specie  payment,  and  no  less  than 
two  hundred  and  fifty-four  business  houses 
failed  in  New  York  in  one  week.  The 
President  urged  the  adoption  of  the  inde- 
pendent treasury  idea,  which  passed  through 
the  senate  twice  but  each  time  it  was  de- 
feated in  the  house.  However  the  measure 
ultimately  became  a  law  near  the  close  of 
President  Van  Buren's  term  of  office.  An- 
other important  measure  that  was  passed 
was  the  pre-emption  law  that  gave  the  act- 
ual settlers  preference  in  the  purchase  of 
public  lands.  The  question  of  slavery  had 
begun  to  assume  great  preponderance  dur- 
ing this  administration,  and  a  great  conflict 
was  tided  over  by  the  passage  of  a  resolu- 
tion that  prohibited  petitions  or  papers  that 
in  any  way  related  to  slavery  to  be  acted 
upon.  In  the  Democratic  convention  of 
1840  President  Van  Buren  secured  the 
nomination  for   re-election    on    that    ticket 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


79 


without  opposition,  but  in  the  election  he 
only  received  the  votes  of  seven  states,  his 
opponent,  W.  H.  Harrison,  being  elected 
president.  In  1848  Mr.  Van  Buren  was 
the  candidate  of  the  "  Free-Soiiers,"  but 
was  unsuccessful.  After  this  he  retired 
from  public  life  and  spent  the  remainder  of 
his  life  on  his  estate  at  Kinderhook,  where 
he  died  July  24,  1862. 


W INFIELD  SCOTT,  a  distinguished 
American  general,  was  born  June  13, 
1786,  near  Petersburg,  Dinwiddle  county, 
Virginia,  and  was  educated  at  the  William 
and  Mary  College.  He  studied  law  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar,  and  in  1808  he  accepted 
an  appointment  as  captain  of  light  artillery, 
and  was  ordered  to  New  Orleans.     In  June, 

1 812,  he  was  promoted  to  be  lieutenant- 
colonel,  and  on  application  was  sent  to  the 
frontier,  and  reported  to  General  Smyth, 
near  Buffalo.  He  was  made  adjutant-gen- 
eral with  the  rank  of  a    colonel,  in  March, 

1 8 1 3,  and  the  same  month  attained  the  colo- 
nelcy of  his  regiment.  He  participated  in 
the  principal  battles  of  the  war  and  was 
wounded  many  times,  and  at  the  close  of 
the  war  he  was  voted  a  gold  medal  by  con- 
gress for  his  services.  He  was  a  writer  of 
considerable  merit  on  military  topics,  and 
he  gave  to  the  military  science,  "General 
Regulations  of  the  Army  "  and  "  System  of 
Infantry  and  Rifle  Practice."  He  took  a 
prominent  part  in  the  Black  Hawk  war, 
and  at  the  beginning  of  the  Mexican  war  he 
was  appointed  to  take  the  command  of  the 
army.  Gen.  Scott  immediately  assembled 
his  troops  at  Lobos  Island  from  which  he 
moved  by  transports  to  Vera  Cruz,  which 
he  took  March  29,  1847,  and  rapidly  fol- 
lowed up  his  first  success.  He  fought  the 
battles  of  Cerro  Gordo  and  Jalapa,  both  of 
which    he   won,  and    proceeded    to   Pueblo 


where  he  was  preceded  by  Worth's  division 
which  had  taken  the  town  and  waited  for  the 
coming  of  Scott.  The  army  was  forced  to 
wait  here  for  supplies,  and  August  7th, 
General  Scott  started  on  his  victorious 
march  to  the  city  of  Mexico  with  ten  thou- 
sand, seven  hundred  and  thirty-eight  men. 
The  battles  of  Contreras,  Cherubusco  and 
San  Antonio  were  fought  August  19-20, 
and  on  the  24th  an  armistice  was  agreed 
upon,  but  as  the  commissioners  could  not 
agree  on  the  terms  of  settlement,  the  fight- 
ing was  renewed  at  Molino  Del  Key,  and 
the  Heights  of  Chapultepec  were  carried 
by  the  victorious  army  of  General  Scott. 
He  gave  the  enemy  no  respite,  however, 
and  vigorously  followed  up  his  advantages. 
On  September  14,  he  entered  the  City  of 
Mexico  and  dictated  the  terms  of  surrender 
in  the  very  heart  of  the  Mexican  Republic. 
General  Scott  was  offered  the  presidency  of 
the  Mexican  Republic,  but  declined.  Con- 
gress extended  him  a  vote  of  thanks  and 
ordered  a  gold  medal  be  struck  in  honor  of 
his  generalship  and  bravery.  He  was  can- 
didate for  the  presidency  on  the  Whig  plat 
form  but  was  defeated.  He  was  honored  by 
having  the  title  of  lieutenant-general  con- 
ferred upon  him  in  1 8  5  5 .  At  the  beginning  of 
the  Civil  war  he  was  too  infirm  to  take  charge 
of  the  army,  but  did  signal  service  in  be- 
half of  the  government.  He  retired  from 
the  service  November  i,  1861,  and  in  1864 
he  published  his  "Autobiography."  Gen- 
eral Scott  died  at  West  Point,  May  29,  1866 


EDWARD  EVERETT  HALE  for  many 
years  occupied  a  high  place  among  the 
most  honored  of  America's  citizens.  As 
a  preacher  he  ranks  among  the  foremost 
in  the  New  England  states,  but  to  the  gen- 
eral public  he  is  best  known  through  his 
writings.      Born  in  Boston,   Mass.,  April  3, 


*) 


COMJ'J£yj)JLM    O/''    JilOiiRArJir. 


1822,  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  most 
prominent  New  England  families,  he  enjoyed 
in  his  youth  many  of  the  advantages  denied 
the  majority  of  boys.  He  received  his  pre- 
paratory schooling  at  the  Boston  Latin 
School,  after  which  he  finished  his  studies  at 
Harvard  where  he  was  graduated  with  high 
honors  in  1839.  Having  studied  theology 
at  home,  Mr.  Hale  embraced  the  ministry 
and  in  1846  became  pastor  of  a  Unitarian 
church  in  Worcester,  Massachusetts,  a  post 
which  he  occupied  about  ten  years.  He 
then,  in  1856,  became  pastor  of  the  South 
Congregational  church  in  Boston,  over  which 
he  presided  many  years. 

Mr.  Hale  also  found  time  to  write  a 
great  many  literary  works  of  a  high  class. 
Among  many  other  well-known  productions 
n{  his  are  "  The  Rosary,"  "  Margaret  Per- 
cival  in  America."  "Sketches  of  Christian 
history, "  "Kansas  and  Nebraska,"  "Let- 
ters on  Irish  Emigration,"  "  Ninety  Days' 
Worth  of  Europe,"  "  If,  Yes,  and  Perhaps," 
"Ingham  Papers,"  "Reformation,"  "Level 
Best  and  Other  Stories, "  ' '  Ups  and  Downs, " 
"Christmas  Eve  and  Christmas  Day,"  "  In 
His  Name,"  "  Our  New  Crusade,"  "Work- 
ingmen's  Homes,"  "  Boys'  Heroes,"  etc., 
etc.,  besides  many  others  which  might  be 
mentioned.  One  of  his  works,  "  In  His 
Name,"  has  earned  itself  enduring  fame  by 
the  good  deeds  it  has  called  forth.  The 
numerous  associations  known  as  '  'The  King's 
Daughters,"  which  has  accomplished  much 
good,  owe  their  existence  to  the  story  men- 
tioned. 

DAVID  GLASCOE  FARRAGUT  stands 
pre-eminent  as  one  of  the  greatest  na- 
val officers  of  the  world.  He  was  born  at 
Campbell's  Station,  East  Tennessee,  July 
5,  1 80 1,  and  entered  the  navy  of  the  United 
States  as  a  midshipman.     He  had  the  good 


fortune  to  serve  under  Captain  David  Por- 
ter, who  commanded  the  "  Essex,"  and  by 
whom  he  was  taught  the  ideas  of  devotion 
to  duty  from  which  he  never  swerved  dur- 
ing all  his  career.  In  1823  Mr.  Farragut 
took  part  in  a  severe  fight,  the  result  of 
which  was  the  suppression  of  piracy  in  the 
West  Indies.  He  then  entered  upon'  the 
regular  duties  of  his  profession  which  was 
only  broken  into  by  a  year's  residence  with 
Charles  Folsom,  our  consul  at  Tunis,  who 
was  afterwards  a  distinguished  professor  at 
Harvard.  Mr.  Farragut  was  one  of  the  best 
linguists  in  the  navy.  He  had  risen  through 
the  different  grades  of  the  service  until  the 
war  of  1861-65  found  him  a  captain  resid- 
ing at  Norfolk,  Virginia.  He  removed  with 
his  family  to  Hastings,  on  the  Hudson,  and 
hastened  to  offer  his  services  to  the  Federal 
government,  and  as  the  capture  of  New 
Orleans  had  been  resolved  upon,  Farragut 
was  chosen  to  command  the  expedition. 
His  force  consisted  of  the  West  Gulf  block- 
ading squadron  and  Porter's  mortar  flotilla. 
In  January,  1862,  he  hoisted  his  pennant  at 
the  mizzen  peak  of  the  "Hartford"  at 
Hampton  roads,  set  sail  from  thence  on  the 
3rd  of  February  and  reached  Ship  Island  on 
the  20th  of  the  same  month.  A  council  of 
war  was  held  on  the  20th  of  April,  in  which 
it  was  decided  that  whatever  was  to  be  done 
must  be  done  quickly.  The  signal  was  made 
from  the  flagship  and  accordingly  the  fleet 
weighed  anchor  at  1:55  on  the  morning  of 
April  24th,  and  at  3:30  the  whole  force  was 
under  way.  The  history  of  this  brilliant  strug- 
gle is  well  known,  and  the  glory  ofit  made  Far- 
ragut a  hero  and  also  made  him  rear  admir- 
al. In  the  summer  of  1 862  he  ran  the  batteries 
at  Vicksburg,  and  on  March  14.  1863,  he 
passed  through  the  fearful  and  destructive 
fire  from  Port  Hudson,  and  opened  up  com- 
munication  with    Flag-officer  Porter,   who 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


8a 


had  control  of  the  upper  Mississippi.  On 
May  24th  he  commenced  active  operations 
against  that  fort  in  conjunction  with  the  army 
and  it  fell  on  July  9th.  Mr.  Farragut  filled 
the  measure  of  his  fame  on  the  5th  of  Au- 
gust, 1864,  by  his  great  victory,  the  capture 
of  Mobile  Bay  and  the  destruction  of  the 
Confederate  fleet,  including  the  formidable 
ram  Tennessee.  For  this  victory  the  rank 
of  admiral  was  given  to  Mr.  Farragut.  He 
died  at  Portsmouth,  New  Hampshire,  Au- 
gust 4,  1870. 

GEORGE  W.  CHILDS,  a  philanthropist 
whose  remarkable  personality  stood 
for  the  best  and  highest  type  of  American 
citizenship,  and  whose  whole  life  was  an 
object  lesson  in  noble  living,  was  born  in 
1829  at  Baltimore,  Maryland,  of  humble 
parents,  and  spent  his  early  life  in  unremit- 
ting toil.  He  was  a  self-made  man  in  the 
fullest  sense  of  the  word,  and  gained  his 
great  wealth  by  his  own  efforts.  He  was  a 
man  of  very  great  influence,  and  this,  in 
conjunction  with  his  wealth,  would  have 
been,  in  the  hands  of  other  men,  a  means  of 
getting  them  political  preferment,  but  Mr. 
Childs  steadily  declined  any  suggestions  that 
would  bring  him  to  figure  prominently  in 
public  affairs.  He  did  not  choose  to  found 
a  financial  dynasty,  but  devoted  all  his 
powers  to  the  helping  of  others,  with  the 
most  enlightened  beneficence  and  broadest 
sympathy.  Mr.  Childs  once  remarked  that 
his  greatest  pleasure  in  life  was  in  doing 
good  to  others.  He  always  despised  mean- 
ness, and  one  of  his  objects  of  life  was  to 
prove  that  a  man  could  be  liberal  and  suc- 
cessful at  the  same  time.  Upon  these  lines 
Mr.  Childs  made  a  name  for  himself  as  the 
director  of  one  of  the  representative  news- 
papers of  America,  "The  Philadelphia  Pub- 
lic Ledger,"  which  was  owned  jointly  by 
5 


himself  and  the  Drexel  estate,  and  which  he 
edited  for  thirty  years.  He  acquired  con- 
trol of  the  paper  at  a  time  when  it  was  be- 
ing published  at  a  heavy  loss,  set  it  upon  a 
firm  basis  of  prosperity,  and  he  made  it 
more  than  a  money- making  machine — he 
made  it  respected  as  an  exponent  of  the 
best  side  of  journalism,  and  it  stands  as  a 
monument  to  his  sound  judgment  and  up- 
right business  principles.  Mr.  Childs'  char- 
itable repute  brought  him  many  applications 
for  assistance,  and  he  never  refused  to  help 
any  one  that  was  deserving  of  aid;  and  not 
only  did  he  help  those  who  asked,  but  he 
would  by  careful  inquiry  find  those  who 
needed  aid  but  were  too  proud  to  solicit  it. 
He  was  a  considerable  employer  of  labor 
and  his  liberality  was  almost  unparalleled. 
The  death  of  this  great  and  good  man  oc- 
curred February  3d,  1894. 


PATRICK  HENRY  won  his  way  to  un- 
dying fame  in  the  annals  of  the  early 
history  of  the  United  States  by  introducing 
into  the  house  of  burgesses  his  famous  reso- 
lution against  the  Stamp  Act,  which  he  car- 
ried through,  after  a  stormy  debate,  by  a 
majority  of  one.  At  this  time  he  exclaimed 
' '  Caesar  had  his  Brutus,  Charles  I  his  Crom- 
well and  George  HI  "  (here  he  was  inter- 
rupted by  cries  of  "  treason  ")  "  may  profit 
by  their  example.  If  this  be  treason  make 
the  most  of  it." 

Patrick  Henry  was  born  at  Studley, 
Hanover  county,  Virginia,  May  29,  1736, 
and  was  a  son  of  Colonel  John  Henry,  a 
magistrate  and  school  teacher  of  Aberdeen, 
Scotland,  and  a  nephew  of  Robertson,  the 
historian.  He  received  his  education  from 
his  father,  and  was  married  at  the  age  of 
eighteen.  He  was  twice  bankrupted  before 
he  had  reached  his  twenty-fourth  year,  when 
after  six  weeks  of  study  he  was  admitted  to 


84 


COMPENDIi'M   OF   BIOGRAI' I/i: 


the  bar.  He  worked  for  three  years  with- 
out a  case  and  finally  was  applauded  for  his 
plea  for  the  people's  rights  and  gained  im- 
mense popularity.  After  his  famous  Stamp 
Act  resolution  he  was  the  leader  of  the  pa- 
triots in  Virginia.  In  1769  he  was  admitted 
to  practice  in  the  general  courts  and  speed- 
ily won  a  fortune  by  his  distinjjuished  ability 
as  a  speaker.  He  was  the  first  speaker  of 
the  General  Congress  at  Philadelphia  in 
1774.  He  was  for  a  time  a  colonel  of 
militiain  1775,  and  from  1776  to  1779  and 
1781  to  1786  he  was  governor  of  Virginia. 
For  a  number  of  years  he  retired  from  pub- 
lic life  and  was  tendered  and  declined  a 
number  of  important  political  offices,  and  in 
March,  1789,  he  was  elected  state  senator 
but  aid  not  take  his  seat  on  account  of  his 
death  which  occurred  at  Red  Hill,  Charlotte 
county,  Virginia,  June  6,  1799. 


BENEDICT  ARNOLD,  an  American 
general  and  traitor  of  the  Revolution- 
ary war,  is  one  of  the  noted  characters  in 
American  history.  He  was  born  in  Nor- 
wich, Connecticut,  January  3,  1740.  He 
ran  away  and  enlisted  in  the  army  when 
young,  but  deserted  in  a  short  time.  He 
then  became  a  merchant  at  New  Haven, 
Connecticut,  but  failed.  In  1775  he  was 
commissioned  colonel  in  the  Massachusetts 
militia,  and  in  the  autumn  of  that  year  was 
placed  in  command  of  one  thousand  men 
for  the  invasion  of  Canada.  He  marched 
his  army  through  the  forests  of  Maine  and 
joined  General  Montgomery  before  Quebec. 
Their  combined  forces  attacked  that  city  on 
December  31,  1775,  and  Montgomery  was 
killed,  and  Arnold,  severely  wounded,  was 
compelled  to  retreat  and  endure  a  rigorous 
winter  a  few  miles  from  the  city,  where  they 
were  at  the  mercy  of  the  Canadian  troops 
had  they  cared  to  attack  them.     On  his  re- 


turn he  was  raised  to  the   rank  of  brigadier- 
general.     He  was  given  command  of  a  small 
flotilla  on  Lake  Champlain,  with  which  he 
encountered  an  immense  force,  and  though 
defeated,  performed  many  deeds  of  valor. 
He  resented  the  action  of  congress  in  pro- 
moting a  number  of  his  fellow  officers  and 
neglecting  himself.      In    1777  he  was  made 
major-general,  and  under  General  Gates  at 
Bemis  Heights  fought  valiantly.      For  some 
reason   General  Gates  found  fault  with  his 
conduct  and  ordered  him  under  arrest,  and 
he  was  kept  in  his  tent  until  the  battle  of 
Stillwater   was    waxing  hot,   when   Arnold 
mounted  his  horse  and  rode  to  the  front  of 
his  old  troop,  gave  command  to  charge,  and 
rode  like  a  mad   man  into  the  thickest  of 
the  fight  and  was  not  overtaken  by  Gates' 
courier  until  he  had  routed   the  enemy  and 
fell  wounded.      Upon  his  recovery  he  was 
made  general,  and  was  placed  in  command 
at  Philadelphia.      Here  he  married,  and  his 
acts  of  rapacity  soon   resulted  in  a  court- 
martial.      He   was   sentenced   to  be   repri- 
manded   by   the   commander-in-chief,    and 
though    Washington    performed    this    duty 
with   utmost  delicacy  and  consideration,  it 
was  never  forgiven.     Arnold  obtained  com- 
mand at  West  Point,  the   most   important 
post  held  by  the  Americans,   in    1780,  and 
immediately  offered  to  surrender  it  to  Sir 
Henry  Clinton,  British  commander  at  New 
York.       Major    Andre  was  sent  to  arrange 
details  with  Arnold,  but  on  his  return  trip 
to  New  York  he  was  captured  by  Americans, 
the  plot  was  detected,  and  Andre  suffered 
the    death   penalty  as  a  spy.      Arnold    es- 
caped, and  was  paid  about  $40,000  by  the 
British  for  his  treason  and  was  made  briga- 
dier-general.    He  afterward  commanded  an 
expedition  that  plundered  a  portion  of  Vir- 
ginia, and  another  that  burned  New  Lon- 
don, Connecticut,  and  captured  Fort  Trum- 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPIir. 


85 


bull,  the  commandant  of  which  Arnold  mur- 
dered with  the  sword  he  had  just  surren- 
dered. He  passed  the  latter  part  of  his  life 
in  England,  universally  despised,  and  died 
in  London  June  14,  1801. 


ROBERT  G.  INGERSOLL,  one  of  the 
most  brilliant  orators  that  America  has 
produced,  also  a  lawyer  of  considerable 
merit,  won  most  of  his  fame  as  a  lecturer. 
Mr.  Ingersoll  was  born  August  24,  1833, 
at  Dryden,  Gates  county.  New  York,  and 
received  his  education  in  the  common  schools. 
He  went  west  at  the  age  of  twelve,  and  for 
a  short  time  he  attended  an  academy  in 
Tennessee,  and  also  taught  school  in  that 
state.  He  began  the  practice  of  law  in  the 
southern  part  of  Illinois  in  1854.  Colonel 
Ingersoll's  principal  fame  was  made  in 
the  lecture  room  by  his  lectures  in  which  he 
ridiculed  religious  faith  and  creeds  and  criti- 
cised the  Bible  and  the  Christian  religion. 
He  was  the  orator  of  the  day  in  the  Decora- 
tion Day  celebration  in  the  city  of  New  York 
in  1882  and  his  oration  was  widely  com- 
mended. He  first  attracted  political  notice 
in  the  convention  at  Cincinnati  in  1876  by 
his  brilliant  eulogy  on  James  G.  Blaine.  He 
practiced  law  in  Peoria,  Illinois,  for  a  num- 
ber of  years,  but  later  located  in  the  city  of 
New  York.  He  published  the  follow- 
ing: "The  Gods  and  other  Lectures;"  "The 
Ghosts;"  "Some  Mistakes  of  Moses;" 
"What  Shall  I  Do  To  Be  Saved;"  "Inter- 
views on  Talmage  and  Presbyterian  Cate- 
chism ;"  The  "North  American  Review 
Controversy;"  "Prose  Poems;"  "  A  Vision 
of  War;"   etc. 


JOSEPH  ECCLESTON  JOHNSTON, 
a  noted  general  in  the  Confederate  army, 
was  born  in  Prince  Edward  county,  Virginia, 
in  1807.      He  graduated   from  West  Point 


and  entered  the  army  in  1829.  For  a  num- 
ber of  years  his  chief  service  was  garrison 
duty.  He  saw  active  service,  however,  in 
the  Seminole  war  in  Florida,  part  of  the 
time  as  a  staff  officer  of  General  Scott.  He 
resigned  his  commission  in  1S37,  but  re- 
turned to  the  army  a  year  later,  and  was 
brevetted  captain  for  gallant  services  in 
Florida.  He  was  made  first  lieutenant  of 
topographical  engineers,  and  was  engaged 
in  river  and  harbor  improvements  and  also 
in  the  survey  of  the  Te.xas  boundary  and 
the  northern  boundary  of  the  United 
States  until  the  beginning  of  the  war 
with  Mexico.  He  was  at  the  siege  of  Vera 
Cruz,  and  at  the  battle  of  Cerro  Gordo  was 
wounded  while  reconnoitering  the  enemy's 
position,  after  which  he  was  brevetted  major 
and  colonel.  He  was  in  all  the  battles  about 
the  city  of  Mexico,  and  was  again  wounded 
in  the  final  assault  upon  that  city.  After 
the  Mexican  war  closed  he  returned  to  duty 
as  captain  of  topographical  engineers,  but 
in  1855  he  was  made  lieutenant-colonel  of 
cavalry  and  did  frontier  duty,  and  was  ap- 
pointed inspector-general  of  the  expedition 
to  Utah.  In  i860  he  was  appointed  quar- 
termaster-general with  rank  of  brigadier- 
general.  At  the  outbreak  of  hostilities  in 
1 86 1  he  resigned  his  commission  and  re- 
ceived the  appointment  of  major-general  of 
the  Confederate  army.  He  held  Harper's 
Ferry,  and  later  fought  General  Patterson 
about  Winchester.  At  the  battle  of  Bull 
Run  he  declined  command  in  favor  of  Beau- 
regard, and  acted  under  that  general's  direc- 
tions. He  commanded  the  Confederates  in 
the  famous  Peninsular  campaign,  and  was 
severely  wounded  at  Fair  Oaks  and  was 
succeeded  in  command  by  General  Lee. 
Upon  his  recovery  he  was  made  lieutenant- 
general  and  assigned  to  the  command  of  the 
southwestern   department.       He    attempted 


86 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


to  raise  the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  and  was 
finally  defeated  at  Jackson,  Mississippi. 
Having  been  made  a  general  he  succeeded 
General  Bragg  in  command  of  the  army  of 
Tennessee  and  was  ordered  to  check  General 
Sherman's  advance  upon  Atlanta.  Not 
daring  to  risk  a  battle  with  the  overwhelm- 
ing forces  of  Sherman,  he  slowly  retreated 
toward  Atlanta,  and  was  relieved  of  com- 
mand by  President  Davis  and  succeeded  by 
General  Hood.  Hood  utterly  destroyed  his 
own  army  by  three  furious  attacks  upon 
Sherman.  Johnston  was  restored  to  com- 
mand in  the  Carolinas,  and  again  faced 
Sherman,  but  was  defeated  in  several  en- 
gagements and  continued  a  slow  retreat 
toward  Richmond.  Hearing  of  Lee's  sur- 
render, he  communicated  with  General 
Sherman,  and  finally  surrendered  his  army 
at  Durham,  North  Carolina,  April  26,  1865. 
General  Johnston  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  forty-sixth  congress  and  was  ap- 
pointed United  States  railroad  commis- 
sioner in  1885.  His  death  occurred  March 
21,  1891. 

SAMUEL  LANGHORNE  CLEMENS, 
known  throughout  the  civilized  world 
as  "Mark  Twain,"  is  recognized  as  one  of 
the  greatest  humorists  America  has  pro- 
duced. He  was  born  in  Monroe  county, 
Missouri,  November  30,  1835.  Hespenthis 
boyhood  days  in  his  native  state  and  many 
of  his  earlier  experiences  are  related  in  vari- 
ous forms  in  his  later  writings.  One  of  his 
early  acquaintances,  Capt.  Isaiah  Sellers, 
at  an  early  day  furnished  river  news  for  the 
New  Orleans  "  Picayune,"  using  the  noiii- 
de-plume  of  "Mark  Twain."  Sellers  died 
in  1863  and  Clemens  took  up  his  nom-de- 
plume  and  made  it  famous  throughout  the 
world  by  his  literary  work.  In  '  1 862  Mr. 
Clemens  became  a  journalist   at   Virginia, 


Nevada,  and  afterward  followed  the  same  pro- 
fession at  San  Francisco  and  Buffalo,  New 
York.  He  accumulated  a  fortune  from  the 
sale  of  his  many  publications,  but  in  later 
years  engaged  in  business  enterprises,  partic- 
ularly the  manufacture  of  a  typesetting  ma- 
chine, which  dissipated  his  fortune  and  re- 
duced him  almost  to  poverty,  but  with  resolute 
heart  he  at  once  again  took  up  his  pen  and 
engaged  in  literary  work  in  the  effort  to 
regain  his  lost  ground.  Among  the  best 
known  of  his  works  may  be  mentioned  the  fol- 
lowing: "The  Jumping  Frog, "  "  Tom  Saw- 
yer," "  Roughing  it,"  "  Innocents  Abroad," 
"Huckleberry  Finn,"  "Gilded  Age," 
"Prince  and  Pauper,"  "Million  Pound 
Bank  Note,"  "A  Yankee  in  King  Arthur's 
Court,"  etc. 

CHRISTOPHER  CARSON,  better 
known  as  "Kit  Carson  ;"  was  an  Amer- 
ican trapper  and  scout  who  gained  a  wide 
reputation  for  his  frontier  work.  He  was  a 
native  of  Kentucky,  born  December  24th, 
1809.  He  grew  to  manhood  there,  devel- 
oping a  natural  inclination  for  adventure  in 
the  pioneer  experiences  in  his  native  state. 
When  yet  a  young  man  he  became  quite 
well  known  on  the  frontier.  He  served  as 
a  guide  to  Gen.  Fremont  in  his  Rocky 
Mountain  explorations  and  enlisted  in  the 
army.  He  was  an  officer  in  the  United 
States  service  in  both  the  Mexican  war  and 
the  great  Civil  war,  and  in  the  latter  received 
a  brevet  of  brigadier-general  for  meritorious 
service.  His  death  occurred  May  23, 
1868.  

JOHN  SHERMAN.— Statesman,  politi- 
cian, cabinet  officer  and  senator,  the  name 
of  the  gentleman  who  heads  this  sketch  is  al- 
most a  household  word  throughout  this 
country.      Identified  with  some  of  the  most 


COMPENDIUM   OF    BIOGRAPHY. 


important  measures  adopted  by  our  Govern- 
ment since  the  close  of  the  Civil  war,  he  may 
well  be  called  one  of  the  leading  men  of  his 
day. 

John  Sherman  was  born  at  Lancaster, 
Fairfield  county,  Ohio,  May  loth,  1823, 
the  son  of  Charles  R.  Sherman,  an  emi- 
nent lawyer  and  judge  of  the  supreme  court 
of  Ohio  and  who  died  in  1829.  The  subject 
of  this  article  received  an  academic  educa- 
tion and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1844. 
In  the  Whig  conventions  of  1844  and  1848 
he  sat  as  a  delegate.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  National  house  of  representatives, 
from  1855  to  1 86 1.  In  i860  he  was  re- 
elected to  the  same  position  but  was  chosen 
United  States  senator  before  he  took  his 
seat  in  the  lower  house.  He  was  re-elected 
senator  in  1866  and  1872  and  was  long 
chairman  of  the  committee  on  finance  and 
on  agriculture.  He  took  a  prominent  part 
in  debates  on  finance  and  on  the  conduct  of 
the  war,  and  was  one  of  the  authors  of  the 
reconstruction  measures  in  1866  and  1867, 
and  was  appointed  secretary  of  the  treas- 
ury March  7th,    1877. 

Mr.  Sherman  was  re-elected  United  States 
senator  from  Ohio  January  i8th,  1881,  and 
again  in  1886  and  1892,  during  which  time 
he  was  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  promi- 
nent leaders  of  the  Republican  party,  both 
in  the  senate  and  in  the  country.  He  was 
several  times  the  favorite  of  his  state  for  the 
nomination  for  president. 

On  the  formation  of  his  cabinet  in  March, 
1897,  President  McKinley  tendered  the  posi- 
tion of  secretary  of  state  to  Mr.  Sherman, 
which  was  accepted. 


WILLIAM  HENRY  HARRISON,  ninth 
president  of  the  United  States,  was 
born  in  Charles  county,  Virginia,  February 
9.     1773.    the  son    of    Governor    Benjamin 


Harrison.  He  took  a  course  in  Hampden- 
Sidney  College  with  a  view  to  the  practice 
of  medicine,  and  then  went  to  Philadelphia 
to  study  under  Dr.  Rush,  but  in  1791  he 
entered  the  army,  and  obtained  the  commis- 
sion of  ensign,  was  soon  promoted  to  the 
lieutenancy,  and  was  with  General  Wayne 
in  his  war  against  the  Indians.  For  his 
valuable  service  he  was  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  captain  and  given  command  of  Fort 
Washington,  now  Cincinnati.  He  was  ap- 
pointed secretary  of  the  Northwest  Territory 
in  1797,  and  in  1799  became  its  representa- 
tive in  congress.  In  1801  he  was  appointed 
governor  of  Indiana  Territory,  and  held  the 
position  for  twelve  years,  during  which  time 
he  negotiated  important  treaties  with  the  In- 
dians, causing  them  to  relinquish  millions  of 
acres  of  land,  and  also  won  the  battle  of 
Tippecanoe  in  181 1.  He  succeeded  in 
obtaining  a  change  in  the  law  which  did  not 
permit  purchase  of  public  lands  in  less  tracts 
than  four  thousand  acres,  reducing  the  limit 
to  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  He 
became  major-general  -of  Kentucky  militia 
and  brigadier-general  in  the  United  States 
army  in  1812,  and  won  great  renown  in 
the  defense  of  Fort  Meigs,  and  his  victory 
over  the  British  and  Indians  under  Proctor 
and  Tecumseh  at  the  Thames  river,  October 

S.  1813- 

In  1 8 16  General  Harrison  was  elected  to 
congress  from  Ohio,  and  during  the  canvass 
was  accused  of  corrupt  methods  in  regard  to 
the  commissariat  of  the  army.  He  demanded 
an  investigation  after  the  election  and  was 
exonerated.  In  1819  he  was  elected  to 
the  Ohio  state  senate,  and  in  1824  he  gave 
his  vote  as  a  presidential  elector  to  Henry 
Clay.  He  became  a  member  of  the  United 
States  senate  the  same  year.  During  the 
last  year  of  Adams'  administration  he  was 
sent  as  minister  to  Colombia,    but  was  re- 


88 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


called  by  President  Jackson  the  following 
year.  He  then  retired  to  his  estate  at  North 
Bend,  Ohio, a  few  miles  below  Cincinnati.  In 
1836  he  was  a  candidate  for  the  presidency, 
but  as  there  were  three  other  candidates 
the  votes  were  divided,  he  receiving  seventy- 
three  electoral  votes,  a  majority  going  to 
Mr.  Van  Buren,  the  Democratic  candidate. 
Four  years  later  General  Harrison  was  again 
nominated  by  the  Whigs,  and  elected  by  a 
tremendous  majority.  The  campaign  was 
noted  for  its  novel  features,  many  of  which 
have  found  a  permanent  place  in  subsequent 
campaigns.  Those  peculiar  to  that  cam- 
paign, however,  were  the  ' '  log-cabin  "  and 
"  hard  cider"  watchwords,  which  produced 
great  enthusiasm  among  his  followers.  One 
month  after  his  inauguration  he  died  from 
an  attack  of  pleurisy,  April  4,  1841. 


CHARLES  A.  DANA,  the  well-known 
and  widely-read  journalist  of  New  York 
City,  a  native  of  Hinsdale,  New  Hampshire, 
was  born  August  8,  18 19.  He  received 
the  elements  of  a  good  education  in  his 
youth  and  studied  for  two  years  at  Harvard 
University.  Owing  to  some  disease  of  the 
eyes  he  was  unable  to  complete  his  course 
and  graduate,  but  was  granted  the  degree  of 
A.  M.  notwithstanding.  For  some  time  he 
was  editor  of  the  "  Harbinger,"  and  was  a 
regular  contributor  to  the  Boston  "  Chrono- 
type."  In  1847  he  became  connected  with 
the  New  York  "Tribune,"  and  continued  on 
the  staff  of  that  journal  until  1858.  In  the 
latter  year  he  edited  and  compiled  "The 
Household  Book  of  Poetry,"  and  later,  in 
connection  with  George  Ripley,  edited  the 
"New  American  Cyclopaedia." 

Mr.  Dana,  on  severing  his  connection 
with  the  "  Tribune  "  in  1867,  became  editor 
of  the  New  York  "Sun,"  a  paper  with 
which  he  was  identified  for  many  years,  and 


which  he  made  one  of  the  leaders  of  thought 
in  the  eastern  part  of  the  United  States. 
He  wielded  a  forceful  pen  and  fearlessly 
attacked  whatever  was  corrupt  and  unworthy 
in  politics,  state  or  national.  The  same 
year,  1867,  Mr.  Dana  organized  the  New 
York  "  Sun  "  Company. 

During  the  troublous  days  of  the  war, 
when  the  fate  of  the  Nation  depended  upon 
the  armies  in  the  field,  Mr.  Dana  accepted 
the  arduous  and  responsible  position  of 
assistant  secretary  of  war,  and  held  the 
position  during  the  greater  part  of  1863 
and  1864.      He  died  October  17,  1897. 


ASA  GRAY  was  recognized  throughout  the 
scientific  world  as  one  of  the  ablest 
and  most  eminent  of  botanists.  He  was 
born  at  Paris,  Oneida  county,  New  York, 
November  18,  18 10.  He  received  his  medi- 
cal degree  at  the  Fairfield  College  of  Physi- 
cians and  Surgeons,  in  Herkimer  county, 
New  York,  and  studied  botany  with  the  late 
Professor  Torrey,  of  New  York.  He  was 
appointed  botanist  to  the  Wilkes  expedition 
in  1834,  but  declined  the  offer  and  became 
professor  of  natural  history  in  Harvard  Uni- 
versity in  1842.  He  retired  from  the  active 
duties  of  this  post  in  1873,  and  in  1874  he 
was  the  regent  of  the  Smithsonian  Institu- 
tion at  Washington,  District  of  Columbia. 
Dr.  Gray  wrote  several  books  on  the  sub- 
ject of  the  many  sciences  of  which  he  was 
master.  In  1836  he  published  his  "Ele- 
ments of  Botany,"  "Manual  of  Botany"  in 
1848;  the  unfinished  "Flora  of  North 
America,"  by  himself  and  Dr.  Torrey,  the 
publication  of  which  commenced  in  1838. 
There  is  another  of  his  unfinished  works 
called  "Genera  Boreali-Americana,"  pub- 
lished in  1848,  and  the  "Botany  of  the 
United  States  Pacific  Exploring  Expedition 
in  1854."     He  wrote  many  elaborate  papers 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


89 


on  the  botany  of  the  west  and  southwest 
that  were  published  in  the  Smithsonian  Con- 
tributions, Memoirs,  etc.,  of  the  American 
Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences,  of  which  in- 
stitution he  was  president  for  ten  years. 
He  was  also  the  author  of  many  of  the 
government  reports.  ' '  How  Plants  Grow, " 
"  Lessons  in  Botany,"  "  Structural  and  Sys- 
tematic Botany,"  are  also  works  from  his 
leady  pen. 

Dr.  Gray  published  in  1861  his  "Free 
Examination  of  Darwin's  Treatise  "  and  his 
"  Darwiniana,"  in  1876.  Mr.  Gray  was 
elected  July  29,  1878,  to  a  membership  in 
the  Institute  of  France,  Academy  of  Sciences. 
His  death  occurred  at  Cambridge,  Massa- 
chusetts, January  30,   1S89. 


WILLIAM  MAXWELL  EVARTS  was 
one  of  the  greatest  leaders  of  the 
American  bar.  He  was  born  in  Boston, 
Massachusetts,  February  6,  18 18,  and  grad- 
uated from  Yale  College  in  1837.  He  took 
up  the  study  of  law,  which  he  practiced  in 
the  city  of  New  York  and  won  great  renown 
as  an  orator  and  advocate.  He  affiliated 
with  the  Republican  party,  which  he  joined 
soon  after  its  organization.  He  was  the 
leading  counsel  employed  for  the  defense  of 
President  Johnson  in  his  trial  for  impeach- 
xTient  before  the  senate  in  April  and  May  of 
1868. 

In  July,  1868,  Mr.  Evarts  was  appointed 
attorney-general  of  the  United  States,  and 
served  until  March  4,  1869.  He  was  one 
of  the  three  lawyers  who  were  selected  by 
President  Grant  in  1871  to  defend  the  inter- 
ests of  the  citizens  of  the  United  States  be- 
fore the  tribunal  of  arbitration  which  met 
at  Geneva  in  Switzerland  to  settle  the  con- 
troversy over  the  "  Alabama  Claims." 

He  was  one  of  the  most  eloquent  advo- 
cates in  the  United  States,  and  many  of  his 


public  addresses  have  been  preserved  and 
published.  He  was  appointed  secretary  of 
state  March  7,  1877,  by  President  Hayes, 
and  served  during  the  Hayes  administration. 
He  was  elected  senator  from  the  state  of 
New  York  January  21,  1885,  and  at  once 
took  rank  among  the  ablest  statesmen  in 
Congress,  and  the  prominent  part  he  took 
in  the  discussion  of  public  questions  gave 
him  a  national  reputation. 


TOHN  WANAMAKER.— The  Hfe  of  this 
<J  great  merchant  demonstrates  the  fact 
that  the  great  secret  of  rising  from  the  ranks 
is,  to-day,  as  in  the  past  ages,  not  so  much  the 
ability  to  make  money,  as  to  save  it,  or  in 
other  words,  the  ability  to  live  well  within 
one's  income.  Mr.  Wanamaker  was  born  in 
Philadelphia  in  1838.  He  started  out  in 
life  working  in  a  brickyard  for  a  mere  pit- 
tance, and  left  that  position  to  work  in  a 
book  store  as  a  clerk,  where  he  earned 
the  sum  of  $5.00  per  month,  and  later  on 
was  in  the  employ  of  a  clothier  where  he 
received  twenty-five  cents  a  week  more. 
He  was  only  fifteen  years  of  age  at  that 
time,  but  was  a  ' '  money-getter  "  by  instinct, 
and  laid  by  a  small  sum  for  a  possible  rainy 
day.  By  strict  attention  to  business,  com- 
bined with  natural  ability,  he  was  promoted 
many  times,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty  he 
had  saved  $2,000.  After  several  months 
vacation  in  the  south,  he  returned  to  Phila- 
delphia and  became  a  master  brick  mason, 
but  this  was  too  tiresome  to  the  young  man, 
and  he  opened  up  the  "  Oak  Hall  "  clothing 
store  in  April,  1861,  at  Philadelphia.  The 
capital  of  the  firm  was  rather  limited,  but 
finally,  after  many  discouragements,  they 
laid  the  foundations  of  one  of  the  largest 
business  houses  in  the  world.  The  estab- 
lishment covers  at  the  present  writing  som.e 
fourteen  acres  of  floor  space,  and  furnishes 


90 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPJ/r. 


employment  for  five  thousand  persons.  Mr. 
Wanamaker  was  also  a  great  church  worker, 
and  built  a  church  that  cost  him  $60,000, 
and  he  was  superintendent  of  the  Sunday- 
school,  which  had  a  membership  of  over 
three  thousand  children.  He  steadily  re- 
fused to  run  for  mayor  or  congress  and  the 
only  public  office  that  he  ever  held  was  that 
of  postmaster-general,  under  the  Harrison 
administration,  and  here  he  exhibited  his 
extraordinary  aptitude  for  comprehending 
the  details  of  public  business. 


DAVID  BENNETT  HILL,  a  Demo- 
cratic politician  who  gained  a  na- 
tional reputation,  was  born  August  29, 
1843,  at  Havana,  New  York.  He  was 
educated  at  the  academy  of  his  native  town, 
and  removed  to  Elmira,  New  York,  in  1862, 
where  he  studied  law.  He  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  1864,  in  which  year  he  was  ap- 
pointed city  attorney.  Mr.  Hill  soon  gained 
a  considerable  practice,  becoming  prominent 
in  his  profession.  He  developed  a  taste  for 
politics  in  which  he  began  to  take  an  active 
part  in  the  different  campaigns  and  became 
the  recognized  leader  of  the  local  Democ- 
racy. In  1870  he  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  assembly  and  was  re-elected  in  1872. 
While  a  member  of  this  assembly  he  formed 
the  acquaintance  of  Samuel  J.  Tilden,  after- 
ward governor  of  the  state,  who  appointed 
Mr.  Hill,  W.  M.  Evarts  and  Judge  Hand 
as  a  committee  to  provide  a  uniform  charter 
for  the  different  cities  of  the  state.  The 
pressure  of  professional  engagements  com- 
pelled him  to  decline  to  serve.  In  1877 
Mr.  Hill  was  made  chairman  of  the  Demo- 
cratic state  convention  at  Albany,  his  elec- 
*^ion  being  due  to  the  Tilden  wing  of  the 
party,  and  he  held  the  same  position  again 
in  1 88 1.  He  served  one  term  as  alderman 
in  Elmira,  at  the  expiration  of  which  term, 


in  1882,  he  was  elected  mayor  of  Elmira, 
and  in  September  of  the  same  year  was 
nominated  for  lieutenant-governor  on  the 
Democratic  state  ticket.  He  was  success- 
ful in  the  campaign  and  two  years  later, 
when  Grover  Cleveland  was  elected  to  the 
presidency,  Mr.  Hill  succeeded  to  the  gov- 
ernorship for  the  unexpired  term.  In  1885 
he  was  elected  governor  for  a  full  term  of 
three  years,  at  the  end  of  which  he  was  re- 
elected, his  term  expiring  in  1891,  in  which 
year  he  was  elected  United  States  senator. 
In  the  senate  he  became  a  conspicuous 
figure  and  gained  a  national  reputation. 


ALLEN  G.  THURMAN.—"  The  noblest 
Roman  of  them  all "  was  the  title  by 
which  Mr.  Thurman  was  called  by  his  com- 
patriots of  the  Democracy.  He  was  the 
greatest  leader  of  the  Democratic  party  in 
his  day  and  held  the  esteem  of  all  the 
people,  regardless  of  their  political  creeds. 
Mr.  Thurman  was  born  November  13,  18 13, 
at  Lynchburg,  Virginia,  where  he  remained 
until  he  had  attained  the  age  of  six'  years, 
when  he  moved  to  Ohio.  He  received  an 
academic  education  and  after  graduating, 
took  up  the  study  of  law,  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  1835,  and  achieved  a  brilliant 
success  in  that  line.  In  political  life  he  was 
very  successful,  and  his  first  office  was  that 
of  representative  of  the  state  of  Ohio  in  the 
twenty-ninth  congress.  He  was  elected 
judge  of  the  supreme  court  of  Ohio  in  185 1, 
and  was  chief  justice  of  the  same  from  1854 
to  1856.  In  1867  he  was  the  choice  of  the 
Democratic  party  of  his  state  for  governor, 
and  was  elected  to  the  United  States  senate 
in  1869  to  succeed  Benjamin  F.  Wade, 
and  was  re-elected  to  the  same  position  in 
1874.  He  was  a  prominent  figure  in  the 
senate,  until  the  expiration  of  his  service  i.i 
1 88 1.     Mr.  Thurman  was  also   one  of  the 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


91 


principal  presidental  possibilities  in  the 
Democratic  convention  held  at  St.  Louis  in 
1876.  In  1888  he  was  the  Democratic 
nominee  for  vice-president  on  the  ticket 
with  Grover  Cleveland,  but  was  defeated. 
Allen  Cranberry  Thurman  died  December 
12,  1895,  at  Columbus,  Ohio. 


CHARLES  FARRAR  BROWNE,  better 
known  as  "  Artemus  \\'ard,"  was  born 
April  26,  1834,  in  the  village  of  Waterford, 
Maine.  He  was  thirteen  years  old  at  the 
time  of  his  father's  death,  and  about  a  year 
later  he  was  apprenticed  to  John  M.  Rix, 
who  published  the  "Coos  County  Dem- 
ocrat "  at  Lancaster,  New  Hampshire.  Mr. 
Browne  remained  with  him  one  year,  when, 
hearing  that  his  brother  Cyrus  was  starting 
a  paper  at  Norway,  Maine,  he  left  Mr.  Rix 
and  determined  to  get  work  on  the  new 
paper.  He  worked  for  his  brother  until  the 
failure  of  the  newspaper,  and  then  went  to 
Augusta,  Maine,  where  he  remained  a  few 
weeks  and  then  removed  to  Skowhegan, 
and  secured  a  position  on  the  "Clarion." 
But  either  the  climate  or  the  work  was  not 
satisfactory  to  him,  for  one  night  he  silently 
left  the  town  and  astonished  his  good  mother 
by  appearing  unexpectedly  at  home.  Mr. 
Browne  then  received  some  letters  of  recom- 
mendation to  Messrs.  Snow  and  Wilder,  of 
Boston,  at  whose  office  Mrs.  Partington's 
(B.  P.  Shillaber)  "  Carpet  Bag  "  was  printed, 
and  he  was  engaged  and  remained  there  for 
three  years.  He  then  traveled  westward  in 
search  of  employment  and  got  as  far  as  Tif- 
fin, Ohio,  where  he  found  employment  in  the 
office  of  the  "Advertiser,"  and  remained 
there  some  months  when  he  proceeded  to 
Toledo,  Ohio,  where  he  became  one  of  the 
staff  of  the  "Commercial,"  which  position 
he  held  until  1857.  Mr.  Browne  next  went 
lo  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and   became  the  local 


editor  of  the  "Plain  Dealer,"  and  it  was  in 
the  columns  of  this  paper  that  he  published 
his  first  articles  and  signed  them  "  Artemus 
Ward."  In  i860  he  went  to  New  York  and 
became  the  editor  of  "  Vanity  Fair,"  but 
the  idea  of  lecturing  here  seized  him,  and  he 
was  fully  determined  to  make  the  trial. 
Mr.  Browne  brought  out  his  lecture,  "Babes 
in  the  Woods  "  at  Clinton  Hall,  December 
23,  1861,  and  in  1862  he  published  his  first 
book  entitled,  "  Artemus  Ward;  His  Book." 
He  attained  great  fame  as  a  lecturer  and  his 
lectures  were  not  confined  to  America,  for 
he  went  to  England  in  1866,  and  became 
exceedingly  popular,  both  as  a  lecturer  and 
a  contributor  to  "Punch."  Mr.  Browne 
lectured  for  the  last  time  January  23,  1867. 
He  died  in  Southampton,  England,  March 
6,    1867.  

THURLOW  WEED,  a  noted  journalist 
and  politician,  was  born  in  Cairo,  New 
York,  November  15,  1797.  He  learned  the 
printer's  trade  at  the  age  of  twelve  years, 
and  worked  at  this  calling  for  several  years 
in  various  villages  in  central  New  York.  He 
served  as  quartermaster-sergeant  during  the 
war  of  18 1 2.  In  18 18  he  established  the 
"Agriculturist,"  at  Norwich,  New  York, 
and  became  editor  of  the  "Anti-Masonic 
Enquirer,"  at  Rochester,  in  1826.  In  the 
same  year  he  was  elected  to  the  legislature 
and  re-elected  in  1830,  when  he  located  in 
Albany,  New  York,  and  there  started  the 
"  Evening  Journal,"  and  conducted  it  in  op- 
position to  the  Jackson  administration  and 
the  nullification  doctrines  of  Calhoun.  Hu 
became  an  adroit  party  manager,  and  was 
instrumental  in  promoting  the  nominations 
of  Harrison,  Taylor  and  Scott  for  the  pres- 
idency. In  1856  and  in  i860  he  threw  his 
support  to  W.  H.  Seward,  but  when  defeat- 
ed in  his  object,  he  gave  cordial  support  to 


92 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BlOGRArilY. 


Fremont  and  Lincoln.  Mr.  Lincoln  pre- 
vaUed  upon  him  to  visit  the  various  capitals 
of  Europe,  where  he  proved  a  valuable  aid 
tc  the  administration  in  moulding  the  opin- 
ions of  the  statesmen  of  that  continent 
favorable  to  the  cause  of  the  Union. 

Mr.  Weed's  connection  with  the  "  Even- 
ing Journal  "  was  severed  in  1862,  when  he 
settled  in  New  York,  and  for  a  time  edited 
the  "Commercial  Advertiser."  In  1868  he 
retired  from  active  life.  His  "  Letters  from 
Europe  and  the  West  Indies,"  published  in 
1 866,  together  with  some  interesting  ' '  Rem- 
iniscences,"  published  in  the  "Atlantic 
Monthly,"  in  1870,  an  autobiography,  and 
portions  of  an  extensive  correspondence  will 
be  of  great  value  to  writers  of  the  political 
history  of  the  United  States.  Mr.  Weed 
died  in  New  York,  November  22,  1882. 


WILLIAM  COLLINS  WHITNEY, 
one  of  the  prominent  Democratic 
politicians  of  the  country  and  ex-secretary  of 
the  navy,  was  born  July  5th,  1841,  at  Con- 
way, Massachusetts,  and  received  his  edu- 
cation at  Williston  Seminary,  East  Hamp- 
ton, Massachusetts.  Later  he  attended 
Yale  College,  where  he  graduated  in  1863, 
and  entered  the  Harvard  Law  School,  which 
he  left  in  1864.  Beginning  practice  in  New 
York  city,  he  soon  gained  a  reputation  as 
an  able  lawyer.  He  made  his  first  appear- 
ance in  public  affairs  in  1871,  when  he  was 
active  in  organizing  a  young  men's  Demo- 
cratic club.  In  1872  he  was  the  recognized 
leader  of  the  county  Democracy  and  in  1875 
was  appointed  corporation  counsel  for  the 
city  of  New  York.  He  resigned  the  office, 
1882,  to  attend  to  personal  interests  and  on 
March  5,  1885,  he  was  appointed  secretary 
of  the  navy  by  President  Cleveland.  Under 
his  administration  the  navy  of  the  United 
States  rapidly  rose  in  rank  among  the  navies 


of  the  world.  When  he  retired  from  office 
in  1889,  the  vessels  of  the  United  States 
navy  designed  and  contracted  for  by  him 
were  five  double-turreted  monitors,  two 
new  armor-clads,  the  dynamite  cruiser  "Ve- 
suvius," and  five  unarmored  steel  and  iron 
cruisers. 

Mr.  Whitney  was  the  leader  of  the 
Cleveland  forces  in  the  national  Democratic 
convention   of   1892. 


EDWIN  FORREST,  the  first  and  great- 
est American  tragedian,  was  born  in 
Philadelphia  in  1806.  His  father  was  a 
tradesman,  and  some  accounts  state  that  he 
had  marked  out  a  mercantile  career  for  his 
son,  Edwin,  while  others  claim  that  he  had 
intended  him  for  the  ministry.  His  wonder- 
ful memory,  his  powers  of  mimicry  and  his 
strong  musical  voice,  however,  attracted  at- 
tention before  he  was  eleven  years  old,  and 
at  that  age  he  made  his  first  appearance  on 
the  stage.  The  costume  in  which  he  appeared 
was  so  ridiculous  that  he  left  the  stage  in  a 
fit  of  anger  amid  a  roar  of  laughter  from 
the  audience.  This  did  not  discourage  him, 
however,  and  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  after 
some  preliminary  training  in  elocution,  he 
appeared  again,  this  time  as  Young  Norvel, 
and  gave  indications  of  future  greatness. 
Up  to  1826  he  played  entirely  with  strolling 
companies  through  the  south  and  west,  but 
at  that  time  he  obtained  an  engagement  at 
the  Bowery  Theater  in  New  York.  From 
that  time  his  fortune  was  made.  His  man- 
ager paid  him  $40  per  night,  and  it  is  stated 
that  he  loaned  Forrest  to  other  houses  from 
time  to  time  at  $200  per  night.  His  great 
successes  were  \'irginius,  Damon,  Othello, 
Coriolanus,  William  Tell,  Spartacus  and 
Lear.  He  made  his  first  appearance  in 
London  in  1836,  and  his  success  was  un- 
questioned from  the  start.     In  1845,  on  his 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


93 


second  appearance  in  London,  he  became 
involved  in  a  bitter  rivalry  with  the  great 
English  actor,  Macready,  who  had  visited 
America  two  years  before.  The  result  was 
that  Forrest  was  hissed  from  the  stage,  and 
it  was  charged  that  Macready  had  instigated 
the  plot.  Forrest's  resentment  was  so  bitter 
that  he  himself  openly  hissed  Macready 
from  his  box  a  few  nights  later.  In  1848 
Macready  again  visited  America  at  a  time 
when  American  admiration  and  enthusiasm 
for  Forrest  had  reached  its  height.  Macready 
undertook  to  play  at  Astor  Place  Opera 
House  in  May,  1849,  but  was  hooted  off  the 
stage.  A  few  nights  later  Macready  made  a 
second  attempt  to  play  at  the  same  house, 
this  time  under  police  protection.  The  house 
wasfilled  with  Macready 's friends,  but  the  vio- 
olence  of  the  mob  outside  stopped  the  play, 
and  the  actor  barely  escaped  with  his  life. 
Upon  reading  the  riot  act  the  police  and 
troops  were  assaulted  with  stones.  The 
troops  replied,  first  with  blank  cartridges, 
and  then  a  volley  of  lead  dispersed  the 
mob,  leaving  thirty  men  dead  or  seriously 
wounded. 

After  this  incident  Forrest's  popularity 
waned,  until  in  1855  he  retired  from  the 
stage.  He  re-appeared  in  i860,  however, 
and  probably  the  most  remunerative  period 
of  his  life  was  between  that  date  and  the 
close  of  the  Civil  war.  His  last  appearance 
on  the  stage  was  at  the  Globe  Theatre, 
Boston,  in  Richelieu,  in  April,  1872,  his 
death   occurring  December  12  of  that  year. 


NOAH  PORTER,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  was 
one  of  the  most  noted  educators,  au- 
thors and  scientific  writers  of  the  United 
States.  He  was  born  December  14,  181 1, 
at  Farmington,  Connecticut,  graduated  at 
Yale  College  in  1831,  and  was  master  of 
Hopkins  Grammar  School  at  New  Haven  in 


1831-33.  During  1833-35  he  was  a  tutor 
at  Yale,  and  at  the  same  time  was  pursuing 
his  theological  studies,  and  became  pastor 
of  the  Congregational  church  at  New  Mil- 
ford,  Connecticut,  in  April,  1836.  Dr. 
Porter  removed  to  Springfield,  Massachu- 
setts, in  1843,  and  was  chosen  professor  of 
metaphysics  and  moral  philosophy  at  Yale 
in  1846.  He  spent  a  year  in  Germany  in 
the  study  of  modern  metaphysics  in  1853- 
54,  and  in  1871  he  was  elected  president  of 
Yale  College.  He  resigned  the  presidency 
in  1885,  but  still  remained  professor  of  met- 
aphysics and  moral  philosophy.  He  was 
the  author  of  a  number  of  works,  among 
which  are  the  following:  "Historical  Es- 
say," written  in  commemorationof the 200th 
aniversary  of  the  settlement  of  the  town  of 
Farmington;  "  Educational  System  of  the 
Jesuits  Compared;"  "The  Human  Intel- 
lect," with  an  introduction  upon  psychology 
and  the  soul;  "  Books  and  Reading;" 
"American  Colleges  and  the  American  Pub- 
lic;" "  Elementsof  Intellectual  Philosophy;" 
"  The  Science  of  Nature  versus  the  Science 
of  Man;"  "Science  and  Sentiment;"  "Ele- 
ments of  Moral  Science."  Dr.  Porter  was 
the  principal  editor  of  the  revised  edition  of 
Webster's  Dictionary  in  1864,  and  con- 
tributed largely  to  religious  reviews  and 
periodicals.  Dr.  Porter's  death  occurred 
March  4,  1 892,  at  New  Haven,  Connecticut. 


JOHN  TYLER,  tenth  president  of  the 
United  States,  was  born  in  Charles  City 
county,  Virginia,  March  29,  1790,  and  was 
the  son  of  Judge  John  Tyler,  one  of  the 
most  distinguished  men  of  his  day. 

When  but  twelve  years  of  age  young 
John  Tyler  entered  William  and  Mary  Col- 
lege, graduating  from  there  in  1806.  He 
took  up  the  study  of  law  and  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  1809,  when  but  nineteen  years 


94 


COMPENDIUM    OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


if  age.  On  attaining  his  majority  in  1811 
lie  was  elected  a  member  of  the  state  legis- 
lature, and  for  five  years  held  that  position 
by  the  almost  unanimous  vote  of  his  county. 
He  was  elected  to  congress  in  1S16,  and 
served  in  that  body  for  four  years,  after 
which  for  two  years  he  represented  his  dis- 
trict again  in  the  legislature  of  the  state. 
While  in  congress,  he  opposed  the  United 
States  bank,  the  protective  policy  and  in- 
ternal improvements  by  the  United  States 
government.  1825  saw  Mr.  Tyler  governor 
of  Virginia,  but  in  1S27  he  was  chosen 
member  of  the  United  States  senate,  and 
held  that  ofifice  for  nine  years.  He  therein 
opposed  the  administration  of  Adams  and 
the  tariff  bill  of  1828,  sympathized  with  the 
nullifiers  of  South  Carolina  and  was  the 
only  senator  who  voted  against  the  Force 
bill  for  the  suppression  of  that  state's  insip- 
ient  rebellion.  He  resigned  his  position  as 
senator  on  account  of  a  disagreement  with 
the  legislature  of  his  state  in  relation  to  his 
censuring  President  Jackson;  He  retired  to 
Williamsburg,  Virginia,  but  being  regarded 
as  a  martyr  by  the  Whigs,  whom,  hereto- 
fore, he  had  always  opposed,  was  supported 
by  many  of  that  party  for  the  vice-presi- 
dency in  1836.  He  sat  in  the  Virginia  leg- 
islature as  a  Whig  in  1839-40,  and  was  a 
delegate  to  the  convention  of  that  party  in 

1839.  This  national  convention  nominated 
him  for  the  second  place  on  the  ticket  with 
General  William  H.  H.  Harrison,  and  he 
was    elected   vice-president    in    November, 

1840.  President  Harrison  dying  one  month 
after  his  inauguration,  he  was  succeeded  by 
John  Tyler.  He  retained  the  cabinet  chosen 
by  his  pxredecessor,  and  for  a  time  moved  in 
harmony  with  the  Whig  party.  He  finally 
instructed  the  secretary  of  the  treasury, 
Thomas  Ewing,  to  submit  to  congress  a  bill 
for  the  incorporation  of  a  fiscal  bank  of  the 


United  States,  which  was  passed  by  con- 
gress, but  vetoed  by  the  president  on  ac- 
count of  some  amendments  he  considered 
unconstitutional.  For  this  and  other  meas- 
ures he  was  accused  of  treachery  to  his 
party,  and  deserted  by  his  whole  cabinet, 
except  Daniel  Webs'.er.  Things  grew  worse 
until  he  was  abandoned  by  the  Whig  party 
formally,  when  Mr.  Webster  resigned.  He 
was  nominated  at  Baltimore,  in  May,  1844, 
at  the  Democratic  convention,  as  their  pres- 
idential candidate,  but  withdrew  from  the 
canvass,  as  he  saw  he  had  not  succeed- 
ed in  gaining  the  confidence  of  his  old 
party.  He  then  retired  from  politics  until 
February,  1S61,  when  he  was  made  presi- 
dent of  the  abortive  peace  congress,  which 
met  in  Washington.  He  shortly  after  re- 
nounced his  allegiance  to  the  United  States 
and  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Confeder- 
ate congress.  He  died  at  Richmond,  Janu- 
ary 17.  1862. 

Mr.  Tyler  married,  in  18 13,  Miss  Letitia 
Christian,  who  died  in  1842  at  Washington. 
June  26,  1844,  he  contracted  a  second  mar- 
riage, with  Miss  Julia  Gardner,  of  New  York. 


COLLIS  POTTER  HUNTINGTON, 
one  of  the  great  men  of  his  time  and 
who  has  left  his  impress  upon  the  history  of 
our  national  development,  was  born  October 
22,  1 82 1,  at  Harwinton,  Connecticut. 
He  received  a  common-school  education 
and  at  the  age  of  fourteen  his  spirit  of  get- 
ting along  in  the  world  mastered  his  educa- 
tional propensities  and  his  father's  objec- 
tions and  he  left  school.  He  went  to  Cali- 
fornia in  the  early  days  and  had  opportunities 
which  he  handled  masterfully.  Others  had 
the  same  opportunities  but  they  did  not  have 
his  brains  nor  his  energy,  and  it  was  he  who 
overcame  obstacles  and  reaped  the  reward 
of   his  genius.     Transcontinental    railways 


COMPENDIUM   OF    BIOGRAPHY. 


95 


were  inevitable,  but  the  realization  of  this 
masterful  achievement  would  have  been  de- 
layed to  a  much  later  day  if  there  had  been 
lio  Huntington.  He  associated  himself  with 
Messrs.  Mark  Hopkins,  Leland  Stanford, 
and  Charles  Crocker,  and  they  furnished  the 
money  necessary  for  a  survey  across  the 
Sierra  Nevadas,  secured  a  charter  for  the 
road,  and  raised,  with  the  government's  aid, 
money  enough  to  construct  and  equip  that 
railway,  which  at  the  time  of  its  completion 
was  a  marvel  of  engineering  and  one  of  the 
wonders  of  the  world.  Mr.  Huntington  be- 
came president  of  the  Southern  Pacific  rail- 
road, vice-president  of  the  Central  Pacific; 
trustee  of  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  Telegraph 
Company,  and  a  director  of  the  Occidental 
and  Oriental  Steamship  Company,  besides 
being  identified  with  many  other  business 
enterprises  of  vast  importance. 


GEORGE  A.  CUSTER,  a  famous  In- 
dian fighter,  was  born  in  Ohio  in  1840. 
He  graduated  at  West  Point  in  1861,  an- 
served  in  the  Civil  war;  was  at  Bull  Run  id 
1861,  and  was  in  the  Peninsular  campaign, 
being  one  of  General  McClellan's  aides-de, 
camp.  He  fought  in  the  battles  of  South 
Mountain  and  Antietam  in  1S63,  and  was 
with  General  Stoneman  on  his  famous 
cavalry  raid.  He  was  engaged  in  the  battle 
of  Gettysburg,  and  was  there  made  brevet- 
major.  In  1863  was  appointed  brigadier- 
general  of  volunteers.  General  Custer  was 
in  many  skirmishes  in  central  Virginia  in 
1863-64,  and  was  present  at  the  following 
battles  of  the  Richmond  campaign:  Wil- 
derness, Todd 's  Tavern,  Yellow  Tavern,  where 
he wasbrevetted lieutenant-colonel;  Meadow 
Bridge,  Haw's  Shop,  Cold  Harbor,  Trevil- 
lian  Station.  In  the  Shenandoah  Valley 
1 864-65  he  was  brevetted  colonel  at  Opequan 
Creek,  and  at   Cedar  Creek  he   was    made 


brevet  major-general  for  gallant  conduct 
during  the  engagement.  General  Custer 
was  in  command  of  a  cavalry  division  in  the 
pursuit  of  Lee's  army  in  1865,  and  fought 
at  Dinwiddie  Court  House,  Five  Forks, 
where  he  was  made  brevet  brigadier-general; 
Sailors  Creek  and  Appomattox,  where  he 
gained  additional  honors  and  was  made 
brevet  major-general,  and  was  given  the 
command  of  the  cavalry  in  the  military 
division  of  the  southwest  and  Gulf,  in  1865. 
After  the  establishment  of  peace  he  went 
west  on  frontier  duty  and  performed  gallant 
and  valuable  service  in  the  troubles  with  the 
Indians.  He  was  killed  in  the  massacre  on 
the  Little  Big  Horn  river.  South  Dakota, 
June  25,  1876. 


DANIEL  WOLSEY  VOORHEES,  cel- 
brated  as  "  The  Tall  Sycamore  of  the 
Wabash,"  was  born  September  26,  1827, 
in  Butler  county,  Ohio.  When  he  was  two 
months  old  his  parents  removed  to  Fount- 
ain county,  Indiana.  He  grew  to  manhood 
on  a  farm,  engaged  in  all  the  arduous  work 
pertaining  to  rural  life.  In  1845  he  entered 
the  Indiana  Asbury  University,  now  the  De 
Pauw,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1849. 
He  took  up  the  study  of  law  at  Crawfords- 
ville,  and  in  185  i  began  the  practice  of  his 
profession  at  Covington,  Fountain  county, 
Indiana.  He  became  a  law  partner  of 
United  States  Senator  Hannegan,  of  Indi- 
ana, in  1852,  and  in  1856  he  was  an  unsuc- 
cessful candidate  for  congress.  In  the  fol- 
lowing year  he  took  up  his  residence  in  Terre 
Haute,  Indiana.  He  was  United  States 
district  attorney  for  Indiana  from  1857  until 
1 86 1,  and  he  had  during  this  period  been 
elected  to  congress,  in  i860.  Mr.  Voorhees 
was  re-elected  to  congress  in  1862  and  1864, 
but  he  was  unsuccessful  in  the  election  of 
1866.      However,  he  was  returned  to   con- 


96 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


gress  in  1868,  where  he  remained  until  1874, 
having  been  re-elected  twice.  In  1877  he 
was  appointed  United  States  senator  from 
Indiana  to  fill  a  vacancy  caused  by  the  death 
of  O.  P.  Morton,  and  at  the  end  of  the  term 
was  elected  for  the  ensuing  term,  being  re- 
elected in  1885  and  in  1S91  to  the  same  of- 
fice. He  served  with  distinction  on  many 
of  the  committees,  and  took  a  very  prom- 
inent part  in  the  discussion  of  all  the  im- 
portant legislation  of  his  time.  His  death 
occurred  in  August,  189  . 


ALEXANDER  GRAHAM  BELL,  fa- 
mous as  one  of  the  inventors  of  the  tele- 
phone, was  born  in  Edinburgh,  Scotland, 
March  3rd,  1847.  He  received  his  early 
education  in  the  high  school  and  later  he 
attended  the  university,  and  was  specially 
trained  to  follow  his  grandfather's  profes- 
sion, that  of  removing  impediments  of 
speech.  He  emigrated  to  the  United  States 
in  1872,  and  introduced  into  this  country 
his  father's  invention  of  visible  speech  in  the 
institutions  for  deaf-mutes.  Later  he  was 
appointed  professor  of  vocal  physiology  in 
the  Boston  University.  He  worked  for 
many  years  during  his  leisure  hours  on  his 
telephonic  discovery,  and  finally  perfected 
it  and  exhibited  it  publicly,  before  it  had 
reached  the  high  state  of  perfection  to  which 
he  brought  it.  His  first  exhibition  of  it  was 
at  the  Centennial  Exhibition  that  was  held 
in  Philadelphia  in  1876.  Its  success  is  now 
established  throughout  the  civilized  world. 
In  1882  Prof.  Bell  received  a  diploma  and 
the  decoration  of  the  Legion  of  Honor  from 
the  Academy  of  Sciences  of  France. 


WILLIAM  HICKLING  PRESCOTT, 
the  justly  celebrated  historian  and 
author,  was  a  native  of  Salem,  Massachu- 
setts, and  was  born  May  4,  1796.      He  was 


the  son  of  Judge  William  Prescott  and  the 
grandson  of  the  hero  of  Bunker  Hill,  Colonel 
William  Prescott. 

Our  subject  in  1808  removed  with  the 
family  to  Boston,  in  the  schools  of  which 
city  he  received  his  early  education.  He 
entered  Harvard  College  as  a  sophomore  in 
181 1,  having  been  prepared  at  the  private 
classical  college  of  Rev.  Dr.  J.  S.  J.  Gardi- 
jner.  The  following  year  he  received  an  in- 
ury  in  his  left  eye  which  made  study 
through  life  a  matter  of  difficulty.  He 
graduated  in  i8i4with  high  honors  in  the 
classics  and  belle  lettres.  He  spent  several 
months  on  the  Azores  Islands,  and  later 
visited  England,  France  and  Italy,  return- 
ing home  in  18 17.  In  June,  1818,  he 
founded  a  social  and  literary  club  at  Boston 
for  which  he  edited  "The  Club  Room,"  a 
periodical  doomed  to  but  a  short  life.  May 
4.  1820,  he  married  Miss  Susan  Amory. 
He  devoted  several  years  after  that  event  to 
a  thorough  study  of  ancient  and  modern 
history  and  literature.  As  the  fruits  of  his 
labors  he  published  several  well  written 
essays  upon  French  and  Italian  poetry  and 
romance  in  the  "  North  American  Review." 
January  19,  1826,  he  decided  to  take  up  his 
first  great  historical  work,  the  "  History  of 
the  Reign  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella."  To 
this  he  gave  the  labor  of  ten  years,  publish- 
ing the  same  December  25,  1837.  Although 
placed  at  the  head  of  all  American  authors, 
so  diffident  was  Prescott  of  his  literary  merit 
that  although  he  had  four  copies  of  this 
work  printed  for  his  own  convenience,  he 
hesitated  a  long  time  before  giving  it  to  the 
public,  and  it  was  only  by  the  solicitation  of 
friends,  especially  of  that  talented  Spanish 
scholar,  George  Ticknor,  that  he  was  in- 
duced to  do  so.  Soon  the  volumes  were 
translated  into  French,  Italian,  Dutch  and 
German,    and    the    work    was    recognized 


COMPENDIUM   OF    BIOGRAPIIT. 


97 


throughout  the  world  as  one  of  the  most 
meritorious  of  historical  compositions.  In 
1843  he  published  the  "Conquest  of  Mexi- 
co," and  in  1847  the  "Conquest  of  Peru." 
Two  years  later  there  came  from  his  pen  a 
volume  of  ' '  Biographical  and  Critical  Mis- 
cellanies." Going  abroad  in  the  summer  of 
1850,  he  was  received  with  great  distinction 
in  the  literary  circles  of  London,  Edinburgh, 
Paris,  Antwerp  and  Brussels.  Oxford  Uni- 
versity conferred  the  degree  of  D.  C.  L. 
upon  him.  In  1855  he  issued  two  volumes 
of  his  "History  of  the  Reign  of  Philip  the 
Second,"  and  a  third  in  1858.  In  the 
meantime  he  edited  Robertson's  "Charles 
the  Fifth,"  adding  a  history  of  the  life  of 
that  monarch  after  his  abdication.  Death 
cut  short  his  work  on  the  remaining  volumes 
of  "  Philip  the  Second,"  coming  to  him  at 
Boston,  Massachusetts,  May  28,  1859. 


OLIVER  HAZARD  PERRY,  a  noted 
American  commodore,  was  born  in 
South  Kingston,  Rhode  Island,  August  23, 
1785.  He  saw  his  first  service  as  a  mid- 
shipman in  the  United  States  navy  in  April, 
1799.  He  cruised  with  his  father.  Captain 
Christopher  Raymond  Perry,  in  the  West  In- 
dies for  about  two  years.  In  1804  he  was 
in  the  war  against  Tripoli,  and  was  made 
lieutenant  in  1807.  At  the  opening  of  hostili- 
ties with  Great  Britain  in  1812  he  was  given 
command  of  a  fleet  of  gunboats  on  the  At- 
lantic coast.  At  his  request  he  was  trans- 
ferred, a  year  later,  to  Lake  Ontario,  where 
he  served  under  Commodore  Chauncey,  and 
took  an  active  part  in  the  attack  on  Fort 
George.  He  was  ordered  to  fit  out  a  squad- 
ron on  Lake  Erie,  which  he  did,  building 
most  of  his  vessels  from  the  forests  along 
the  shore,  and  by  the  summer  of -181  3  he  had 
a  fleet  of  nine  vessels  at  Presque  Isle,  now 
Erie,    Pennsylvania.       September    loth    he 


attacked  and  captured  the  British  fleet  near 
Put-in-Bay,  thus  clearing  the  lake  of  hostile 
ships.  His  famous  dispatch  is  part  of  his 
fame,  "  We  have  met  the  enemy,  and  they 
are  ours."  He  co-operated  with  Gen.  Har- 
rison, and  the  success  of  the  campaign  in 
the  northwest  was  largely  due  to  his  victory. 
The  next  year  he  was  transferred  to  the  Po- 
tomac, and  assisted  in  the  defense  of  Balti- 
more. After  the  war  he  was  in  constant 
service  with  the  various  squadrons  in  cruising 
in  all  parts  of  the  world.  He  died  of  yellow 
fever  on  the  Island  of  Trinidad,  August  23, 
1 8 19.  His  remains  were  conveyed  to  New- 
port, and  buried  there,  and  an  imposing 
obelisk  was  erected  to  his  memory  by  the 
State  of  Rhode  Island.  A  bronze  statue 
was  also  erected  in  his  honor,  the  unveiling 
taking  place  in  1885.     . 


JOHN  PAUL  JONES,  though  a  native 
<J  of  Scotland,  was  one  of  America's  most 
noted  fighters  during  the  Revolutionary  war. 
He  was  born  July  6,  1747.  His  father  was 
a  gardener,  but  the  young  man  soon  be- 
came interested  in  a  seafaring  life  and  at 
the  age  of  twelve  he  was  apprenticed  to  a 
sea  captain  engaged  in  the  American  trade. 
His  first  voyage  landed  him  in  Virginia, 
where  he  had  a  brother  who  had  settled 
there  several  years  prior.  The  failure  of 
the  captain  released  young  Jones  from  his 
apprenticeship  bonds,  and  he  was  engaged 
as  third  mate  of  a  vessel  engaged  in  the 
slave  trade.  He  abandoned  this  trade  after 
a  few  years,  from  his  own  sense  of  disgrace. 
He  took  passage  from  Jamaica  for  Scotland 
in  1768,  and  on  the  voyage  both  the  captain 
and  the  mate  died  and  he  was  compelled  to 
take  command  of  the  vessel  for  the  re- 
mainder of  the  voyage.  He  soon  after 
became  master  of  the  vessel.  He  returned 
to  Virginia  about  1773  to  settle  up  the  estate 


B8 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


of  his  brother,  and  at  this  time  added  the 
name  "Jones,"  having  previously  been 
known  as  John  Paul.  lie  settled  down  in 
\'irginia,  but  when  the  war  broke  out  in 
1775  he  offered  his  services  to  congress  and 
was  appointed  senior  lieutenant  of  the  flag- 
ship "Alfred,"  on  which  he  hoisted  the 
American  flag  with  his  own  hands,  the  first 
vessel  that  had  ever  carried  a  flag  of  the 
new  nation.  He  was  afterward  appointed 
to  the  command  of  the  "Alfred,"  and  later 
of  the  "Providence,"  in  each  of  which  ves- 
sels he  did  good  service,  as  also  in  the 
"  Ranger,"  to  the  command  of  which  he 
was  later  appointed.  The  fight  that  made 
him  famous,  however,  was  that  in  which  he 
captured  the  "  Serapis,"  off  the  coast  of 
Scotland.  He  was  then  in  command  of  the 
"Bon  Homme  Richard,"  which  had  been 
fitted  out  for  him  by  the  French  government 
and  named  by  Jones  in  honor  of  Benjamin 
Franklin,  or  "  Good  Man  Richard,"  Frank- 
lin being  author  of  the  publication  known 
as  "  Poor  Richard's  Almanac."  The  fight 
between  the  "  Richard"  and  the  "Serapis" 
lasted  three  hours,  all  of  which  time  the 
vessels  were  at  close  range,  and  most  of  the 
time  in  actual  contact.  Jones'  vessel  was 
on  fire  several  times,  and  early  in  the  en- 
gagement two  of  his  guns  bursted,  rendering 
the  battery  useless.  Also  an  envious  officer 
of  the  Alliance,  one  of  Jones'  own  fleet, 
opened  fire  upon  the  "  Richard  "  at  a  crit- 
ical time,  completely  disabling  the  vessel. 
Jones  continued  the  fight,  in  spite  of  coun- 
sels to  surrender,  and  after  dark  the  "  Ser- 
apis "struck  her  colors,  and  was  hastily 
boarded  by  Jones  and  his  crew,  while  the 
"Richard"  sank,  bows  first,  after  the 
wounded  had  been  taken  on  board  the 
"Serapis."  Most  of  the  other  vessels  of 
the  fleet  of  which  the  "  Serapis"  was  con- 
voy, surrendered,  and  were  taken  with  the 


"Serapis"  to  France,  where  Jones  was 
received  with  greatest  honors,  and  the  king 
presented  him  with  an  elegant  sword  and 
the  cross  of  the  Order  of  Military  Merit. 
Congress  gave  him  a  vote  of  thanks  and 
made  him  commander  of  a  new  ship,  the 
"America,"  but  the  vessel  was  afterward 
given  to  France  and  Jones  never  saw  active 
sea  service  again.  He  came  to  America  again, 
in  1787,  after  the  close  of  the  war,  and  was 
voted  a  gold  medal  by  congress.  He  went  to 
Russia  and  was  appointed  rear-admiral  and 
rendered  service  of  value  against  the  Turks, 
but  on  account  of  personal  enmity  of  the  fav- 
orites of  the  emperor  he  was  retired  on  a  pen- 
sion. Failing  to  collect  this,  he  returned  to 
France,  where  he  died,  July  18,  1792. 


THOMAS  MORAN,  the  well-known 
painter  of  Rocky  Mountain  scenery, 
was  born  in  Lancashire,  England,  in  1837. 
He  came  to  America  when  a  child,  and 
showing  artistic  tastes,  he  was  apprenticed 
to  a  wood  engraver  in  Philadelphia.  Three 
years  later  he  began  landscape  painting,  and 
hisstj'le  soon  began  to  exhibit  signs  of  genius. 
His  first  works  were  water-colors,  and 
though  without  an  instructor  he  began  the 
use  of  oils,  he  soon  found  it  necessary  to 
visit  Europe,  where  he  gave  particular  at- 
tention to  the  works  of  Turner.  He  joined 
the  Yellowstone  Park  exploring  expedition 
and  visited  the  Rocky  Mountains  in  1871 
and  again  in  1873,  making  numerous 
sketches  of  the  scenery.  The  most  note- 
worthy results  were  his  "Grand  Canon  of 
the  Yellowstone,"  and  "  The  Chasm  of  the 
Colorado,"  which  were  purchased  by  con- 
gress at  $10,000  each,  the  first  of  which  is 
undoubtedly  the  finest  landscape  painting 
produced  in  this  country.  Mr.  Moran  has 
subordinated  art  to  nature,  and  the  subjects 
he  has  chosen  leave  little  ground   for  far.lL 


w    -^ . 

<'^;'      ^      \VB,ALLISCN  I 


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NEW  YORK 

'PUBLIC  LIRRiVRVl 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


101 


finding  on  that  account.  "The  Mountain 
of  the  Holy  Cross,"  "The  Groves  Were 
God's  First  Temples,"  "  The  Cliffs  of  Green 
River,"  "  The  Children  of  the  Mountain," 
"  The  Ripening  of  the  Leaf,"  and  others 
have  given  him  additional  fame,  and  while 
they  do  not  equal  in  grandeur  the  first 
mentioned,  in  many  respects  from  an  artis- 
tic standpoint  they  are  superior. 


L ELAND  STANFORD  was  one  of  the 
greatest  men  of  the  Pacific  coast  and 
also  had  a  national  reputation.  He  was 
born  March  9,  1824,  in  Albany  county,  New 
York,  and  passed  his  early  life  on  his 
father's  farm.  He  attended  the  local 
schools  of  the  county  and  at  the  age  of 
twenty  began  the  study  of  law.  He 
entered  the  law  office  of  Wheaton,  Doolittle 
and  Hadley,  at  Albany,  in  1845,  ^"d  a  few 
years  later  he  moved  to  Port  Washington, 
Wisconsin,  where  he  practiced  law  four 
years  with  moderate  success.  In  1852  Mr. 
Stanford  determined  to  push  further  west, 
and,  accordingly  went  to  California,  where 
three  of  his  brothers  were  established  in 
business  in  the  mining  towns.  They  took 
Leland  into  partnership,  giving  him  charge 
of  a  branch  store  at  Michigan  Bluff,  in 
Placer  county.  There  he  developed  great 
business  ability  and  four  years  later  started 
a  mercantile  house  of  his  own  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, which  soon  became  one  of  the  most 
substantial  houses  on  the  coast.  On  the 
formation  of  the  Republican  party  he  inter- 
ested himself  in  politics,  and  in  i860  was 
sent  as  a  delegate  to  the  convention  that 
nominated  Abraham  Lincoln.  In  the 
autumn  of  1861  he  was  elected,  by  an  im- 
mense majority,  governor  of  California. 
Prior  to  his  election  as  governor  he  had 
been  chosen  president  of  the  newly-orga- 
nized Central  Pacific  Railroad  Company, 
6 


and  after  leaving  the  executive  chair  he  de- 
voted all  of  his  time  to  the  construction  of 
the  Pacific  end  of  the  transcontinental  rail- 
way. May  10,  1869,  Mr.  Stanford  drove 
the  last  spike  of  the  Central  Pacific  road, 
thus  completing  the  route  across  the  conti- 
nent. He  was  also  president  of  the  Occi- 
dental and  Oriental  Steamship  Company. 
He  had  but  one  son,  who  died  of  typhoid 
fever,  and  as  a  monument  to  his  child  he 
founded  the  university  which  bears  his  son's 
name,  Leland  Stanford,  Junior,  University. 
Mr.  Stanford  gave  to  this  university  eighty- 
three  thousand  acres  of  land,  the  estimated 
value  of  which  is  $8,000,000,  and  the  entire 
endowment  is  $20,000,000.  In  1885  Mr. 
Stanford  was  elected  United  States  senator 
as  a  Republican,  to  succeed  J.  T.  Farley,  a 
Democrat,  and  was  re-elected  in  1 891.  His 
death  occurred  June  20,  1894,  at  Palo  Alto, 
California. 

STEPHEN  DECATUR,  a  famous  com- 
modore in  the  United  States  navy,  was 
born  in  Maryland  in  1779.  He  entered  the 
naval  service  in  1798.  In  1804,  when  the 
American  vessel  Philadelphia  had  been  run 
aground  and  captured  in  the  harbor  of  Trip- 
oli, Decatur,  at  the  head  of  a  few  men, 
boarded  her  and  burned  her  in  the  face  of 
the  guns  from  the  city  defenses.  For  this 
daring  deed  he  was  made  captain.  He  was 
given  command  of  the  frigate  United  States 
at  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  of  18 12,  and 
in  October  of  that  year  he  captured  the 
British  frigate  Macedonian,  and  was  re- 
warded with  a  gold  medal  by  congress.  Af- 
ter the  close  of  the  war  he  was  sent  as  com- 
mander of  a  fleet  of  ten  vessels  to  chastise 
the  dey  of  Algiers,  who  was  preying  upon 
American  commerce  with  impunity  and  de- 
manding tribute  and  ransom  for  the  release 
of  American    citizens    captured.      Decatur 


102 


COMPENDlU.\r   OF   BlOGRAriir. 


captured  a  number  of  Algerian  vessels,  and 
compelled  the  dey  to  sue  for  peace.  He 
was  noted  for  his  daring  and  intrepiditj', 
and  his  coolness  in  the  face  of  danger,  and 
helped  to  bring  the  United  States  navy  into 
favor  with  the  people  and  congress  as  a 
means  of  defense  and  offense  in  time  of 
war.  He  was  killed  in  a  duel  by  Commo- 
dore Barron,  March  12,  1820. 


JAMES  KNOX  POLK,  the  eleventh 
president  of  the  United  States,  1845  to 
1849,  was  born  November  2,  1795,  in  Meck- 
lenburg county,  North  Carolina,  and  was 
the  eldest  child  of  a  family  of  si.x  sons.  He 
removed  with  his  father  to  the  Valley  of  the 
Duck  River,  in  Tennessee,  in  1806.  He 
attended  the  common  schools  and  became 
very  proficient  in  the  lower  branches  of 
education,  and  supplemented  this  with 
a  course  in  the  Murfreesboro  Academy, 
which  he  entered  in  18 13  andin  the  autumn 
of  18 1  5  he  became  a  student  in  the  sopho- 
more class  of  the  University  of  North  Caro- 
lina, at  Chapel  Hill,  and  was  graduated  in 
18 1 8.  He  then  spent  a  short  time  in  re- 
cuperating his  health  and  then  proceeded  to 
Nashville,  Tennessee,  where  he  took  up  the 
study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Felix  Grundy. 
After  the  completion  of  his  law  studies  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  removed  to 
Columbia,  Maury  county,  Tennessee,  and 
started  in  the  active  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion. Mr.  Polk  was  a  Jeffersonian  "  Re- 
publican "  and  in  1823  he  was  elected  to  the 
legislature  of  Tennessee.  He  was  a  strict 
constructionist  and  did  not  believe  that  the 
general  government  had  the  power  to  carry 
on  internal  improvements  in  the  states,  but 
deemed  it  important  that  it  should  have  that 
power,  and  wanted  the  constitution  amended 
to  that  effect.  But  later  on  he  became 
alarmed  lest  the  general  government   might 


become  strong  enough  to  abolish  slavery 
and  therefore  gave  his  whole  support  to  the 
"  State's  Rights"  movement, and  endeavored 
to  check  the  centralization  of  power  in  the 
general  government.  Mr.  Polk  was  chosen 
a  member  of  congress  in  1825,  and  held  that 
office  until  1839.  He  then  withdrew,  as  he 
was  the  successful  gubernatorial  candidate 
of  his  state.  He  had  become  a  man  of 
great  influence  in  the  house,  and,  as  the 
leader  of  the  Jackson  party  in  that  body, 
weilded  great  influence  in  the  election  of 
General  Jackson  to  the  presidency.  He 
sustained  the  president  in  all  his  measures 
and  still  remained  in  the  house  after  Gen- 
eral Jackson  had  been  succeeded  by  Martin 
Van  Buren.  He  was  speaker  of  the  house 
during  five  sessions  of  congress.  He  was 
elected  governor  of  Tennessee  by  a  large 
majority  and  took  the  oath  of  office  at  Nash- 
ville, October  4,  1839.  He  was  a  candidate 
for  re-election  but  was  defeated  by  Governor 
Jones,  the  Whig  candidate.  In  1844  the 
most  prominent  question  in  the  election  was 
the  annexation  of  Texas,  and  as  Mr.  Polk 
was  the  avowed  champion  of  this  cause  he 
was  nominated  for  president  by  the  pro- 
slavery  wing  of  the  democratic  party,  was 
elected  by  a  large  majority,  and  was  inaug- 
urated March  4,  1845.  President  Polk 
formed  a  very  able  cabinet,  consisting  of 
James  Buchanan,  Robert  J.  Walker,  Will- 
iam L.  Marcy,  George  Bancroft,  Cave  John- 
son, and  John  Y.  Mason.  The  dispute  re- 
garding the  Oregon  boundary  was  settled 
during  his  term  of  office  and  a  new  depart- 
ment was  added  to  the  list  of  cabinet  po- 
sitions, that  of  the  Interior.  The  low  tariff 
bill  of  1846  was  carried  and  the  financial 
system  of  the  country  was  reorganized.  It 
was  also  during  President  Polk's  term  that 
the  Mexican  war  was  successfully  conducted, 
which  resulted  in  the  acquisition  of  Califor- 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


108 


nia  and  New  Mexico.  Mr.  Polk  retired  from 
the  presidency  March  4,  1849,  after  having 
declined  a  re-nomination,  and  was  succeeded 
by  General  Zachary  Taylor,  the  hero  of  the 
Mexican  war.  Mr.  Polk  retired  to  private 
life,  to  his  home  in  Nashville,  where  he  died 
at  the  age  of  fifty-four  on  June  9,  1849. 


ANNA  DICKINSON  (Anna  Elizabeth 
Dickinson),  a  noted  lecturer  and  pub- 
lic speaker,  was  born  at  Philadelphia,  Oc- 
tober 28,  1S42.  Herparents  were  Quakers, 
and  she  was  educated  at  the  Friends'  free 
schools  in  her  native  city.  She  early  man- 
ifested an  inclination  toward  elocution  and 
public  speaking,  and  when,  at  the  age  of  18, 
she  found  an  opportunity  to  appear  before 
a  national  assemblage  for  the  discussion  of 
woman's  rights,  she  at  once  established  her 
reputation  as  a  public  speaker.  From  i860 
to  the  close  of  the  war  and  during  the  ex- 
citing period  of  reconstruction,  she  was  one 
of  the  most  noted  and  influential  speakers 
before  the  American  public,  and  her  popu- 
larity was  unequaled  by  that  of  any  of  her 
sex.  A  few  weeks  after  the  defeat  and 
death  of  Colonel  Baker  at  Ball's  Bluff,  Anna 
Dickinson,  lecturing  in  New  York,  made 
the  remarkable  assertion,  "  Not  the  incom- 
petency of  Colonel  Baker,  but  the  treachery 
of  General  McClellan  caused  the  disaster  at 
Ball's  Bluff."  She  was  hissed  and  hooted 
off  the  stage.  A  year  later,  at  the  same 
hall  and  with  much  the  same  class  of  audi- 
tors, she  repeated  the  identical  words,  and 
the  applause  was  so  great  and  so  long  con- 
tinued that  it  was  impossible  to  go  on  with 
her  lecture  for  more  than  half  an  hour.  Tiie 
change  of  sentiment  had  been  wrought  by 
the  reverses  and  dismissal  of  McClellan  and 
his  ambition  to  succeed  Mr.  Lincoln  as  presi- 
dent.. 

Ten  years  after  the  close  of  the  war,  Anna 


Dickinson  was  not  heard  of  on  the  lec- 
ture platform,  and  about  that  time  she  made 
an  attempt  to  enter  the  dramatic  profession, 
but  after  appearing  a  number  of  times  in  dif- 
ferent plays  she  was  pronounced  a  failure. 


ROBERT  J.  BURDETTE.— Some  per- 
sonal characteristics  of  Mr.  Burdette 
were  quaintly  given  by  himself  in  the  follow- 
ing words:  "Politics.''  Republican  after 
the  strictest  sect.  Religion )  Baptist.  Per- 
sonal appearance  .''  Below  medium  height, 
and  weigh  one  hundred  and  thirty-five 
pounds,  no  shillings  and  no  pence.  Rich  .' 
Not  enough  to  own  a  yacht.  Favorite  read- 
ing.? Poetry  and  history — know  Longfellow 
by  heart,  almost.  Write  for  magizines .'' 
Have  more  '  declined  with  thanks  '  letters 
than  would  fill  a  trunk.  Never  able  to  get 
into  a  magazine  with  a  line.  Care  about  it.' 
Mad  as  thunder.  Think  about  starting  a 
magazine  and  rejecting  everbody's  articles 
except  my  own."  Mr.  Burdette  was  born 
at  Greensborough,  Pennsylvania,  in  1844. 
He  served  through  the  war  of  the  rebellion 
under  General  Banks  "on  an  excursion 
ticket"  as  he  felicitously  described  it,  "good 
both  ways,  conquering  in  one  direction  and 
running  in  the  other,  pay  going  on  just  the 
same."  He  entered  into  journalism  by  the 
gateway  of  New  York  correspondence  for 
the  "Peoria  Transcript,"  and  in  1874  went 
on  the  "Burlington  Hawkeye"  of  which  he 
became  the  managing  editor,  and  the  work 
that  he  did  on  this  paper  made  both  him- 
self and  the  paper  famous  in  the  world  of 
humor.  Mr.  Burdette  married  in  1870, 
and  his  wife,  whom  he  called  "Her  Little 
Serene  Highness,"  was  to  him  a  guiding 
light  until  the  day  of  her  death,  and  it  was 
probably  the  unconscious  pathos  with  which 
he  described  her  in  his  work  that  broke  the 
barriers  that  had  kept  him  out  of  the  maga- 


104 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


zines  and  st-cured  him  the  acceptance  of  his 
"Confessions"  by  Lippincott  some  years 
ago,  and  brought  him  substantial  fame  and 
recognition  in  the  literary  world. 


WILLIAM  DEAN  HOWELLS,  one 
of  the  leading  novelists  of  the  present 
century  and  author  of  a  number  of  works 
that  gained  for  him  a  place  in  the  hearts  of 
the  people,  was  born  March  i,  1837,  at 
Martinsville,  Belmont  county,  Ohio.  At 
the  age  of  three  years  he  accompanied  his 
father,  who  was  a  printer,  to  Hamilton, 
Ohio,  where  he  learned  the  printer's  trade. 
Later  he  was  engaged  on  the  editorial  staff 
of  the  "  Cincinnati  Gazette"  and  the  "  Ohio 
State  Journal."  During  1861-65  he  was 
the  United  States  consul  at  Venice,  and 
from  1 87 1  to  1878  he  was  the  editor-in- 
chief  of  the  "Atlantic  Monthly."  As  a 
writer  he  became  one  of  the  most  fertile 
and  readable  of  authors  and  a  pleasing  poet. 
In  1885  he  became  connected  with  "  Har- 
per's Magazine. "  Mr.  Hovvells  was  author 
of  the  list  of  books  that  we  give  below: 
"Venetian  Life, "  "  Italian  Journeys,"  "No 
Love  Lost,"  "  Suburban  Sketches,"  "Their 
Wedding  Journey,"  "A  Chance  Acquaint- 
ance," "A  Foregone  Conclusion,"  "Dr. 
Breen's  Practice,"  "A  Modern  Instance," 
"The  Rise  of  Silas  Lapham,"  "Tuscan 
Cities,"  "Indian  Summer,"  besides  many 
others.  He  also  wrote  the  ' '  Poem  of  Two 
Friends,"  with  J.  J.  Piatt  in  i860,  and 
some  minor  dramas:  "The  Drawing 
Room  Car,"  "The  Sleeping  Car,"  etc., 
that  are  full  of  exqusite  humor  and  elegant 
dialogue. 

T  AMES  RUSSELL  LOWELL  was  a  son 
<J  of  the  Rev.  Charles  Lowell,  and  was  born 
;it  Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  February  22, 
1819.      He  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in 


1838  as  class  poet,  and  went  to  Harvard 
Law  School,  from  which  he  was  graduated 
in  1840,  and  commenced  the  practice  of  his 
profession  in  Boston,  but  soon  gave  his  un- 
divided attention  to  literary  labors.  Mr. 
Lowell  printed,  in  1841,  a  small  volume  of 
poems  entitled  "  A  Year's  Life,"  edited  with 
Robert  Carter;  in  1843,  "The  Pioneer, "  a 
literary  and  critical  magazine  (monthly),  and 
in  1848  another  book  of  poems,  that  con- 
tained several  directed  against  slavery.  He 
published  in  1844  a  volume  of  "Poems" 
and  in  1845  "  Conversations  on  Some 
of  the  Old  Poets,"  "The  Vision  of  Sir 
Launfal,"  "  A  Fable  for  Critics,"  and  "The 
Bigelow  Papers,"  the  latter  satirical  es- 
says in  dialect  poetry  directed  against 
slavery  and  the  war  with  Mexico.  In 
1851-52  he  traveled  in  Europe  and  re- 
sided in  Italy  for  a  considerable  time,  and 
delivered  in  1854-55  a  course  of  lectures  on 
the  British  poets,  before  the  Lowell  Insti- 
tute, Boston.  Mr.  Lowell  succeeded  Long- 
fellow in  January,  1855,  as  professor  of 
modern  languages  and  literature  at  Harvard 
College,  and  spent  another  year  in  Euiope 
qualifying  himself  for  that  post.  He  edited 
the  "  Atlantic  Monthly  "  from  1857  to  1862, 
and  the  "North  American  Review"  from 
1863  until  1872.  From  1864  to  1870  he 
published  the  following  works:  "  Fireside 
Travels,"  "  Under  the  Willows,"  "The 
Commemoration  Ode,"  in  honor  of  the 
alumni  of  Harvard  who  had  fallen  in  the 
Civil  war;  "The  Cathedral,"  two  volumes 
of  essays;  "Among  My  Books"  and  "My 
Study  Windows,"  and  in  1867  he  published 
a  new  series  of  the  "  Bigelow  Papers."  He 
traveled  extensively  in  Europe  in  1872-74, 
and  received  in  person  the  degree  of  D.  C. 
L.  at  Oxford  and  that  of  LL.  D.  at  the 
University  of  Cambridge,  England.  He 
was  also  interested  in  political  life  and  held 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


105 


many  important  offices.  He  was  United 
States  minister  to  Spain  in  1877  and  was 
also  minister  to  England  in  1880-85.  On 
January  2,  1884,  he  was  elected  lord  rector 
of  St.  Andrew  University  in  Glasgow,  Scot- 
land, but  soon  after  he  resigned  the  same. 
Mr.  Lowell's  works  enjoy  great  popularity 
in  the  United  States  and  England.  He 
died  August  12,  1891. 


JOSEPH  HENRY,  one  of  America's 
greatest  scientists,  was  born  at  Albany, 
New  York,  December  17,  1797.  He  was 
educated  in  the  common  schools  of  the  city 
and  graduated  from  the  Albany  Academy, 
where  he  became  a  professor  of  mathemat- 
ics in  1826.  In  1827  he  commenced  a 
course  of  investigation,  which  he  continued 
for  a  number  of  years,  and  the  results  pro- 
duced had  great  effect  on  the  scientific  world. 
The  first  success  was  achieved  by  producing 
the  electric  magnet,  and  he  next  proved  the 
possibility  of  exciting  magnetic  energy  at  a 
distance,  and  it  was  the  invention  of  Pro- 
fessor Henry's  intensity  magnet  that  first 
made  the  invention  of  electric  telegraph  a 
possibility.  He  made  a  statement  regarding 
the  practicability  of  applying  the  intensity 
magnet  to  telegraphic  uses,  in  his  article  to 
the  ' 'American  Journal  of  Science  "  in  1 83 1 . 
During  the  same  year  he  produced  the  first 
mechanical  contrivance  ever  invented  for 
maintaining  continuous  motion  by  means  of 
electro-magnetism,  and  he  also  contrived  a 
machine  by  which  signals  could  be  made  at 
a  distance  by  the  use  of  his  electro-magnet, 
the  signals  being  produced  by  a  lever  strik- 
ing on  a  bell.  Some  of  his  electro-magnets 
were  of  great  power,  one  carried  over  a  ton 
and  another  not  less  than  three  thousand  six 
hundred  pounds.  In  1832  he  discovered 
that  secondary  currents  could  be  produced 
in  a  long  conductor  by  the  induction  of  the 


primary  current  upon  itself,  and  also  in  the 
same  year  he  produced  a  spark  by  means  of 
a  purely  magnetic  induction.  Professor 
Henry  was  elected,  in  1832,  professor  of  nat- 
ural philosophy  in  the  College  of  New  Jer- 
sey, and  in  his  earliest  lectures  at  Princeton, 
demonstrated  the  feasibility  of  the  electric 
telegraph.  He  visited  Europe  in  1837,  and 
while  there  he  had  an  interview  with  Pro- 
fessor Wheatstone,  the  inventor  of  the 
needle  magnetic  telegraph.  In  1846  he  was 
elected  secretary  of  the  Smithsonian  Insti- 
tution,being  the  first  incumbent  in  that  office, 
which  he  held  until  his  death.  Professor 
Henry  was  elected  president  of  the  Ameri- 
can Association  for  the  Advancement  of 
Science,  in  1849,  and  of  the  National 
Academy  of  Sciences.  He  was  made  chair- 
man of  the  lighthouse  board  of  the  United 
States  in  1871  and  held  that  position  up  to 
the  time  of  his  death.  He  received  the 
honorary  degree  of  doctor  of  laws  from 
Union  College  in  1829,  and  from  Harvard 
University  in  185 1,  and  his  death  occurred 
May  13,  1878.  Among  his  numerous  works 
may  be  mentioned  the  following:  "Contri- 
butions to  Electricity  and  Magnetism," 
"  American  Philosophic  Trans, "  and  many 
articles  in  the  "American  Journal  of 
Science,"  the  journal  of  the  Franklin  Insti- 
tute; the  proceedings  of  the  American  As- 
sociation for  the  Advancement  of  Science, 
and  in  the  annual  reports  of  the  Smith- 
sonian Institution  from  its  foundation. 


FRANKLIN  BUCHANAN,  the  famous 
rear-admiral  of  the  Confederate  navy 
during  the  rebellion,  was  born  in  Baltimore, 
Maryland.  He  became  a  United  States 
midshipman  in  181 5  and  was  promoted 
through  the  various  grades  of  the  service 
and  became  a  captain  in  1855.  Mr.  Buch- 
anan resigned  his  captaincy  in  order  to  join 


106 


co.vrExnicAf  of  biographv. 


the  Confederate  service  in  1861  and  later  he 
asked  to  be  reinstated,  but  his  request  was 
refused  and  he  tiien  entered  into  the  service 
of  the  Confederate  government.  He  was 
placed  in  command  of  the  frigate  "  Merri- 
mac  "  after  she  had  been  fitted  up  as  an  iron- 
clad, and  had  command  of  her  at  the  time 
of  the  battle  of  Hampton  Roads.  It  was 
he  who  had  command  when  the  "  Merri- 
mac"  sunk  the  two  wooden  frigates,  "  Con- 
gress" and  "Cumberland,"  and  was  also 
in  command  during  part  of  the  historical 
battle  of  the  "Merrimac"  and  the  "Moni- 
tor," where  he  was  wounded  and  the  com- 
mand devolved  upon  Lieutenant  Catesby 
Jones.  He  was  created  rear-admiral  in  the 
Confederate  service  and  commanded  the 
Confederate  fleet  in  Mobile  bay,  which  was 
defeated  by  Admiral  Farragut,  August  5, 
1864.  Mr.  Buchanan  was  in  command  of 
the  "Tennessee,"  an  ironclad,  and  during 
the  engagement  he  lost  one  of  his  legs  and 
was  taken  prisoner  in  the  end  by  the  Union 
fleet.  After  the  war  he  settled  in  Talbot 
county,  Maryland,  where  he  died  May  11, 
1874-  

RICHARD  PARKS  BLAND,  a  celebrated 
American  statesman,  frequently  called 
"the  father  of  the  house,"  because  of  his 
many  years  of  service  in  the  lower  house 
of  congress,  was  born  August  19,  1835, 
near  Hartford,  Kentucky,  where  he  received 
a  plain  academic  education.  He  moved, 
in  1855,  to  Missouri,  from  whence  he  went 
overland  to  California,  afterward  locating  in 
Virginia  City,  now  in  the  state  of  Nevada, 
but  then  part  of  the  territory  of  Utah. 
While  there  he  practiced  law,  dabbled  in 
mines  and  mining  in  Nevada  and  California 
for  several  years,  and  served  for  a  time  as 
treasurer  of  Carson  county,  Nevada.  Mr. 
Bland  returned  to  Missouri  in   1865,  where 


he  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  at  Rolla, 
Missouri,  and  in  1869  removed  to  Lebanon, 
Missouri.  He  began  his  congressional  career 
in  1873,  when  he  was  elected  as  a  Demo- 
crat to  the  forty-third  congress,  and  he  was 
regularly  re-elected  to  every  congress  after 
that  time  up  to  the  fifty-fourth,  when  he  was 
defeated  for  re-election,  but  was  returned 
to  the  fifty-fifth  congress  as  a  Silver  Demo- 
crat. During  all  his  protracted  service, 
while  Mr.  Bland  was  always  steadfast  in  his 
support  of  democratic  measures,  yet  he  won 
his  special  renown  as  the  great  advocate  of 
silver,  being  strongly  in  favor  of  the  free 
and  unlimited  coinage  of  silver,  and  on  ac- 
count of  his  pronounced  views  was  one  of 
the  candidates  for  the  presidential  nomina- 
tion of  the  Democratic  party  at  Chicago  in 
1896. 

FANNY  DAVENPORT  (F.  L.  G.  Daven- 
port) was  of  British  birth,  but  she  be- 
longs to  the  American  stage.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  the  famous  actor,  E.  L.  Daven- 
port, and  was  born  in  London  in  1850. 
She  first  went  on  the  stage  as  a  child  at  the 
Howard  Athenteum,  Boston,  and  her  entire 
life  was  spent  upon  the  stage.  She  played 
children's  parts  at  Burton's  old  theater  in 
Chambers  street,  and  then,  in  1862,  appeared 
as  the  King  of  Spain  in  "  Faint  Heart  Never 
Won  Fair  Lady."  Here  she  attracted  the 
notice  of  Augustin  Daly,  the  noted  mana- 
ger, then  at  the  Fifth  Avenue  theater,  who 
offered  her  a  six  weeks'  engagement  with 
her  father  in  "London  Assurance."  She 
afterwards  appeared  at  the  same  house  in  a 
variety  of  characters,  and  her  versatility 
was  favorably  noticed  by  the  critics.  After 
the  burning  of  the  old  Fifth  Avenue,  the 
present  theater  of  that  name  was  built  at 
Twenty-eighth  street,  and  here  Miss  Daven- 
port appeared  in  a  play  written  for  her  by 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


107 


Mr.  Daly.  She  scored  a  great  success. 
She  then  starred  in  this  play  throughout  tlie 
country,  and  was  married  to  Mr.  Edwin  F. 
Price,  an  actor  of  her  company,  in  1880. 
In  1882  she  went  to  Paris  and  purchased 
the  right  to  produce  in  America  Sardou's 
great  emotional  play,  "  Fedora."  It  was 
put  on  at  the  Fourteenth  Street  theater  in 
New  York,  and  in  it  she  won  popular  favor 
and  became  one  of  the  most  famous  actresses 
of  her  time. 


HORACE  BRIGHAM  CLAFLIN,  one 
of  the  greatest  merchants  America  has 
produced,  was  born  in  Milford,  Massachu- 
setts, a  son  of  John  Claflin,  also  a  mer- 
chant. Young  Claflin  started  his  active  life 
as  a  clerk  in  his  father's  store,  after  having 
been  offered  the  opportunity  of  a  college 
education,  but  with  the  characteristic 
promptness  that  was  one  of  his  virtues  he 
exclaimed,  "No  law  or  medicine  for  me." 
He  had  set  his  heart  on  being  a  merchant, 
and  when  his  father  retired  he  and  his 
brother  Aaron,  and  his  brother-in-law,  Sam- 
uel Daniels,  conducted  the  business.  Mr. 
Claflin  was  not  content,  however,  to  run  a 
store  in  a  town  like  Milford,  and  accordingly 
opened  a  dry  goods  store  at  Worcester,  with 
his  brother  as  a  partner,  but  the  partnership 
was  dissolved  a  year  later  and  H.  B.  Claflin 
assumed  complete  control.  The  business 
in  Worcester  had  been  conducted  on  ortho- 
dox principles,  and  when  Mr.  Claflin  came 
there  and  introduced  advertising  as  a  means 
of  drawing  trade,  he  created  considerable 
animosity  among  the  older  merchants.  Ten 
y6ars  later  he  was  one  of  the  most  prosper- 
ous merchants.  He  disposed  of  his  busi- 
ness in  Worcester  for  $30,000,  and  went  to 
New  York  to  search  for  a  wider  field  than 
that  of  a  shopkeeper.  Mr.  Claflin  and 
William  M.  Bulkley  started  in  the  dry  goods 


business  there  under  the  firm  name  of  Bulk- 
ley  &  Claflin,  in  1843,  a-nd  Mr.  Bulkley  was 
connected  with  the  firm  until  185 1, when  he 
retired.  A  new  firm  was  then  formed  under 
the  name  of  Claflin,  Mellin  &  Co.  This 
firm  succeeded  in  founding  the  largest  dry 
goods  house  in  the  world,  and  after  weather- 
ing the  dangers  of  the  civil  war,  during 
which  the  house  came  very  near  going  un- 
der, and  was  saved  only  by  the  superior 
business  abilities  of  Mr.  Claflin,  continued  to 
grow.  The  sales  of  the  firm  amounted  to 
over  $72,000,000  a  year  after  the  close  of 
the  war.  Mr.  Claflin  died  November  14, 
1S85. 

CHARLOTTE  CUSHMAN  (Charlotte 
Saunders  Cushman),  one-  of  the  most 
celebrated  American  actresses,  was  born  in 
Boston,  July  23,  1816.  She  was  descended 
from  one  of  the  earliest  Puritan  families. 
Her  first  attempt  at  stage  work  was  at  the 
age  of  fourteen  years  in  a  charitable  concert 
given  by  amateurs  in  Boston.  From  this 
time  her  advance  to  the  first  place  on  the 
American  lyric  stage  was  steady,  until,  in 
1835,  while  singing  in  New  Orleans,  she 
suddenly  lost  control  of  her  voice  so  far  as 
relates  to  singing,  and  was  compelled  to  re- 
tire. She  then  took  up  the  study  for  the 
dramatic  stage  under  the  direction  of  Mr. 
Barton,  the  tragedian.  She  soon  after 
made  her  (/fi^«/ as  "  Lady  Macbeth."  She 
appeared  in  New  York  in  September,  1836, 
and  her  success  was  immediate.  Her 
"Romeo"  was  almost  perfect,  and  she  is 
the  only  woman  that  has  ever  appeared  in 
the  part  of  '!  Cardinal  Wolsey. "  She  at 
different  times  acted  as  support  of  Forrest 
and  Macready.  Her  London  engagement, 
secured  in  1845,  after  many  and  great  dis- 
couragements, proved  an  unqualified  suc- 
cess. 


108 


C  OMPENW  UM   OF   Bl  O  GJiA  I' I  IT. 


Her  farewell  appearance  was  at  Booth's 
theater,  New  York,  November  7,  1874,  in 
the  part  of  "  Lady  Macbeth,"  and  after  that 
performance  an  Ode  by  R.  H.  Stoddard 
was  read,  and  a  body  of  citizens  went  upon 
the  stage,  and  in  their  name  the  venerable 
poet  Longfellow  presented  her  with  a  wreath 
of  laurel  with  an  inscription  to  the  effect 
that  "she  who  merits  the  palm  should  bear 
it."  From  the  time  of  her  appearance  as  a 
modest  girl  in  a  charitable  entertainment 
down  to  the  time  of  final  triumph  as  a  tragic 
queen,  she  bore  herself  with  as  much  honor 
to  womanhood  as  to  the  profession  she  rep- 
resented. Her  death  occurred  in  Boston, 
February  18,  1S76.  By  her  profession  she 
acquired  a  fortune  of  $600,000. 


NEAL  DOW,  one  of  the  most  prominent 
temperance  reformers  our  country  has 
known,  was  born  in  Portland,  Me.,  March  20, 
1804.  He  received  his  education  in  the 
Friends  Seminary,  at  New  Bedford,  Massa- 
chusetts, his  parents  being  members  of  that 
sect.  After  leaving  school  he  pursued  a 
mecrantile  and  manufacturing  career  for  a 
number  of  years.  He  was  active  in  the 
affairs  of  his  native  city,  and  in  1839  be- 
came chief  of  the  fire  department,  and  in 
185 1  was  elected  mayor.  He  was  re-elected 
to  the  latter  office  in  1854.  Being  opposed 
to  the  liquor  traffic  he  was  a  champion  of 
the  project  of  prohibition,  first  brought  for- 
ward in  I  839  by  James  Appleton.  While 
serving  his  first  term  as  mayor  he  drafted  a 
bill  for  the  "suppression  of  drinking  houses 
and  tippling  shops,"  which  he  took  to  the 
legislature  and  which  was  passed  without  an 
alteration.  In  1858  Mr.  Dow  was  elected 
to  the  legislature.  On  the  outbreak  of  the 
Civil  war  he  was  appointed  colonel  of  the 
Thirteenth  Maine  Infantry  and  accompanied 
General  Butler's  expedition  to  New  Orleans. 


In  1862  he  was  made  brigadier-general.  At 
the  battle  of  Port  Hudson  May  27,  1863,  he 
was  twice  wounded,  and  taken  prisoner.  He 
was  confined  at  Libby  prison  and  Mobile 
nearly  a  year,  when,  being  exchanged,  he 
resigned,  his  health  having  given  way  under 
the  rigors  of  his  captivity.  He  made  sev- 
eral trips  to  England  in  the  interests  of 
temperance  organization,  where  he  addressed 
large  audiences.  He  was  the  candidate  of 
the  National  Prohibition  party  for  the  presi- 
dency in  1880,  receiving  about  ten  thousand 
votes.  In  1884  he  was  largely  instrumental 
in  the  amendment  of  the  constitution  of 
Maine,  adopted  by  an  overwhelming  popular 
vote,  which  forever  forbade  the  manufacture 
or  sale  of  any  intoxicating  beverages,  and 
commanding  the  legislature  to  enforce  the 
prohibition.      He  died  October  2,   1897. 


ZACHARY  TAYLOR,  twelfth  president 
of  the  United  States,  was  born  in 
Orange  county,  Virginia,  September  24, 
1784.  His  boyhood  was  spent  on  his  fath- 
er's plantation  and  his  education  was  lim- 
ited. In  1808  he  was  made  lieutenant  of 
the  Seventh  Infantry,  and  joined  his  regi- 
ment at  New  Orleans.  He  was  promoted 
to  captain  in  18 10,  and  commanded  at  Fort 
Harrison,  near  the  present  site  of  Terre 
Haute,  in  181 2,  where,  for  his  gallant  de- 
fense, he  was  brevetted  major,  attaining  full 
rank  in  18 14.  In  1815  he  retired  to  an  es- 
tate near  Louisville.  In  18 16  here-entered 
the  army  as  major,  and  was  promoted  to 
lieutenant-colonel  and  then  to  colonel. 
Having  for  many  years  been  Indian  agent 
over  a  large  poriion  of  the  western  country, 
he  was  often  required  in  Washington  to  give 
advice  and  counsel  in  matters  connected 
with  the  Indian  b:ireau.  He  served  through 
the  Black  Hawk  Indian  war  of  1832,  and  in 
1837  was  ordered  to  the  command  of  the 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


109 


army  in  Florida,  where  he  attacked  the  In- 
dians in  the  swamps  and  brakes,  defeated 
them  and  ended  the  war.  He  was  brevetted 
brigadier-general  and  made  commander-in- 
chief  of  the  army  in  Florida.  He  was  as- 
signed to  the  command  of  the  army  of  the 
southwest  in  1840,  but  was  soon  after  re- 
heved  of  it  at  his  request.  He  was  then 
stationed  at  posts  in  Arkansas.  In  1845  he 
was  ordered  to  prepare  to  protect  and  de- 
fend Texas  boundaries  from  invasion  by 
Mexicans  and  Indians.  On  the  annexation 
of  Texas  he  proceeded  with  one  thousand 
five  hundred  men  to  Corpus  Christi,  within 
the  disputed  territory.  After  reinforcement 
he  was  ordered  by  the  Mexican  General  Am- 
pudia  to  retire  beyond  the  Nueces  river, 
with  which  order  he  declined  to  comply. 
The  battles  of  Palo  Alto  and  Resaca  de  la 
Palma  followed,  and  he  crossed  the  Rio 
Grande  and  occupied  Matamoras  May  i8th. 
He  was  commissioned  major-general  for  this 
campaign,  and  in  September  he  advanced 
upon  the  city  of  Monterey  and  captured  it 
after  a  hard  fight.  Here  he  took  up  winter 
quarters,  and  when  he  was  about  to  resume 
activity  in  the  spring  he  was  ordered  to  send 
the  larger  part  of  his  army  to  reinforce 
General  Scott  at  Vera  Cruz.  After  leaving 
garrisons  at  various  points  his  army  was  re- 
duced to  about  five  thousand,  mostly  fresh 
recruits.  He  was  attacked  by  the  army  of 
Santa  Anna  at  Buena  Vista,  February  22, 
1847,  and  after  a  severe  fight  completely 
routed  the  Mexicans.  He  received  the 
thanks  of  congress  and  a  gold  medal  for 
this  victory.  He  remained  in  command  of 
the  "army  of  occupation"  until  winter, 
when  he  returned  to  the  United  States. 

In  1848  General  Taylor  was  nominated 
by  the  Whigs  for  president.  He  was  elected 
over  his  two  opponents,  Cass  and  Van 
Buren.      Great  bitterness  was  developing  in 


the  struggle  for  and  against  the  extension  of 
slavery,  and  the  newly  acquired  territory  in 
the  west,  and  the  fact  that  the  states  were 
now  equally  divided  on  that  question,  tended 
to  increase  the  feeling.  President  Taylor 
favored  immediate  admission  of  California 
with  her  constitution  prohibiting  slavery, 
and  the  admission  of  other  states  to  be 
formed  out  of  the  new  territory  as  they 
might  elect  as  they  adopted  constitutions 
from  time  to  time.  This  policy  resulted  in 
the  ' '  Omnibus  Bill, "  which  afterward  passed 
congress,  though  in  separate  bills;  not,  how- 
ever, until  after  the  death  of  the  soldier- 
statesman,  which  occurred  July  9,  1850. 
One  of  his  daughters  became  the  wife  of 
Jefferson  Davis. 


M 


ELVILLE  D.  LANDON,  better  known 
as  "  Eli  Perkins, "  author,  lecturer  and 
humorist,  was  born  in  Eaton,  New  York, 
September  7,  1839.  He  was  the  son  of 
John  Landon  and  grandson  of  Rufus  Lan- 
don,  a  revolutionary  soldier  from  Litchfield 
county,  Connecticut.  Melville  was  edu- 
cated at  the  district  school  and  neighboring 
academy,  where  he  was  prepared  for  the 
sophomore  class  at  Madison  University.  He 
passed  two  years  at  the  latter,  when  he  was 
admitted  to  Union  College,  and  graduated 
in  the  class  of  1861,  receiving  the  degree  of 
A.  M.,  in  1862.  He  was,  at  once,  ap- 
pointed to  a  position  in  the  treasury  depart- 
ment at  Washington.  This  being  about  the 
time  of  the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  and 
before  the  appearance  of  any  Union  troops 
at  the  capital,  he  assisted  in  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  "  Clay  Battalion,"  of  Washing- 
ton. Leaving  his  clerkship  some  time  later, 
he  took  up  duties  on  the  staff  of  General  A. 
L.  Chetlain,  who  was  in  command  at  Mem- 
phis. In  1864  he  resigned  from  the  army 
and  engaged  in  cotton   planting  in  Arkansas 


110 


COMPENDIUM   OF    BIOGRAPHY. 


and  Louisiana.  In  1867  he  went  abroad, 
making  the  tour  of  Europe,  traversing  Rus- 
sia. While  in  the  latter  country  his  old 
commander  of  the  "  Cla^'  Battalion,"  Gen- 
eral Cassius  M.  Clay,  then  United  States 
minister  at  St.  Petersburg,  made  him  secre- 
tary of  legation.  In  1 87 1,  on  returning  to 
America,  he  published  a  history  of  the 
Franco-Prussian  war,  and  followed  it  with 
numerous  humorous  writings  for  the  public 
press  under  the  name  of  "Eli  Perkins," 
which,  with  his  regular  contributions  to  the 
"  Commercial  Advertiser,"  brought  him  into 
notice,  and  spread  his  reputation  as  a  hu- 
morist throughout  the  country.  He  also  pub- 
lished "Saratoga  in  1891,"  "Wit,  Humor 
and  Pathos, "  ' '  Wit  and  Humor  of  the  Age, " 
"  Kings  of  Platform  and  Pulpit,"  "Thirty 
Years  of  Wit  and  Humor,"  "  Fun  and  Fact," 
and  "  China  and  Japan." 


LEWIS  CASS,  one  of  the  most  prom- 
inent statesman  and  party  leaders  of  his 
day,  was  born  at  E.xeter,  New  Hampshire, 
October  9,  1782.  He  studied  law,  and  hav- 
ing removed  to  Zanesville,  Ohio,  commenced 
the  practice  of  that  profession  in  1S02.  He 
entered  the  service  of  the  American  govern- 
ment in  18 1 2  and  was  made  a  colonel  in 
the  army  under  General  William  Hull,  and 
on  the  surrender  of  Fort  Maiden  by  that 
officer  was  held  as  a  prisoner.  Being  re- 
leased in  18 1 3,  he  was  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  brigadier-general  and  in  1S14  ap- 
pointed governor  of  Michigan  Territory. 
After  he  had  held  that  office  for  some 
sixteen  years,  negotiating,  in  the  meantime, 
many  treaties  with  the  Indians,  General 
Cass  was  made  secretary  of  war  in  the  cabi- 
net of  President  Jackson,  in  1831.  He  was, 
in  1S36,  appointed  minister  to  France, 
which  office  he  held  for  six  years.  In  1844 
he  sas  elected  United  States  senator  from 


Michigan.  In  1846  General  Cass  opposed 
the  Wilmot  Proviso,  which  was  an  amend- 
ment to  a  bill  for  the  purchase  of  land  from 
Mexico,  which  provided  that  in  any  of  the 
territory  acquired  from  that  power  slavery 
should  not  exist.  For  this  and  other  reasons 
he  was  nominated  as  Democratic  candidate 
for  the  presidency  of  the  United  States  in 
1848,  but  was  defeated  by  General  Zacharj' 
Taylor,  the  Whig  candidate,  having  but 
one  hundred  and  thirty-seven  electoral  votes 
to  his  opponent's  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
three.  In  1 849  General  Cass  was  re-elected 
to  the  senate  of  the  United  States,  and  in 
1 8 54  supported  Douglas'  Kansas-Nebraska 
bill.  He  became  secretary  of  state  in 
March,  1857,  under  President  Buchanan, 
but  resigned  that  office  in  December,  i860. 
He  died  June  17,  i866.  The  published 
works  of  Lewis  Cass,  while  not  numerous, 
are  well  written  and  display  much  ability. 
He  was  one  of  the  foremost  men  of  his  day 
in  the  political  councils  of  the  Democratic 
party,  and  left  a  reputation  for  high  probity 
and  honor  behind  him. 


DEWITT  CLINTON.— Probably  there 
were  but  few  men  who  were  so  popular 
in  their  time,  or  who  have  had  so  much  in- 
fluence in  moulding  events  as  the  individual 
whose  name  honors  the  head  of  this  article. 
De  Witt  Clinton  was  the  son  of  General 
James  Clinton,  and  a  nephew  of  Governor 
George  Clinton,  who  was  the  fourth  vice- 
president  of  the  United  States.  He  was  a 
native  of  Orange  county,  New  York,  born  at 
Little  Britain,  March  2,  1769.  He  gradu- 
ated from  Columbia  College,  in  his  native 
state,  in  1796,  and  took  up  the  study  of  law. 
In  1 790  he  became  private  secretary  to  his 
uncle,  then  governor  of  New  York.  He  en- 
tered public  life  as  a  Republican  or  anti- 
Federalist,   and  was  elected    to  the    lower 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


Ill 


house  of  the  state  assembly  in  1797,  and  the 
senate  of  that  body  in  1798.  At  that  time 
he  was  looked  on  as  "  the  most  rising  man 
in  the  Union."  In  1801  he  was  elected  to 
the  United  States  senate.  In  1803  he  was 
appointed  by  the  governor  and  council 
mayor  of  the  city  of  New  York,  then  a 
very  important  and  powerful  office.  Hav- 
ing been  re-appointed,  he  held  the  office 
of  mayor  for  nearly  eleven  years,  and 
rendered  great  service  to  that  city.  Mr. 
Clinton  served  as  lieutenant-governor  of 
the  state  of  New  York,  1811-13,  and 
was  one  of  the  commissioners  appointed 
to  examine  and  survey  a  route  for  a  canal 
from  the  Hudson  river  to  Lake  Erie.  Dif- 
fering with  President  Madison,  in  relation  to 
the  war,  in  18 12,  he  was  nominated  for  the 
presidency  against  that  gentleman,  by  a 
coalition  party  called  the  Clintonians,  many 
of  whom  were  Federalists.  Clinton  received 
eight-nine  electoral  votes.  His  course  at 
this  time  impaired  his  popularity  for  a  time. 
He  was  removed  from  the  mayoralty  in 
1 8 14,  and  retired  to  private  life.  In  18 15 
he  wrote  a  powerful  argument  for  the  con- 
struction of  the  Erie  canal,  then  a  great  and 
beneficent  work  of  which  he  was  the  prin- 
cipal promoter.  This  was  in  the  shape  of 
a  memorial  to  the  legislature,  which,  in 
18 1 7,  passed  a  bill  authorizing  the  construc- 
tion of  that  canal.  The  same  year  he  was 
elected  governor  of  New  York,  almost  unani- 
mously, notwithstanding  the  opposition  of 
a  few  who  pronounced  the  scheme  of  the 
canal  visionary.  He  was  re-elected  governor 
in  1820.  He  was  at  this  time,  also,  presi- 
dent of  the  canal  commissioners.  He  de- 
clined a  re-election  to  the  gubernatorial 
chair  in  1822  and  was  removed  from  his 
place  on  the  canal  board  two  years  later. 
But  he  was  triumphantly  elected  to  the  of- 
fice of  governor  that  fall,  and  his  pet  project, 


the  Erie  canal,  was  finished  the  next  year. 
He  was  re-elected  governor  in  1826,  but 
died  while  holding  that  office,  February  11, 
1828. 

AARON  BURR,  one  of  the  many  brilliant 
figures  on  the  political  stage  in  the  early 
days  of  America,  was  born  at  Newark,  New 
Jersey,  February  6,  1756.  He  was  the  son 
of  Aaron  and  Esther  Burr,  the  former  the 
president  of  the  College  of  New  Jersey,  and 
the  latter  a  daughter  of  Jonathan  Edwards, 
who  had  been  president  of  the  same  educa- 
tional institution.  Young  Burr  graduated 
at  Princeton  in  1772.  In  1775  he  joined 
the  provincial  army  at  Cambridge,  Massa- 
chusetts. For  a  time,  he  served  as  a  private 
soldier,  but  later  was  made  an  aide  on  the 
staff  of  the  unfortunate  General  Montgom- 
ery, in  the  Quebec  expedition.  Subse- 
quently he  was  on  the  staffs  of  Arnold,  Put- 
nam and  Washington,  the  latter  of  whom 
he  disliked.  He  was  promoted  to  the  rank 
of  lieutenant-colonel  and  commanded  a 
brigade  on  Monmouth's  bloody  field.  In 
1779,  on  account  of  feeble  health,  Colonel 
Burr  resigned  from  the  army.  He  took  up 
the  practice  of  law  in  Albany,  New  York, 
but  subsequently  removed  to  New  York  City. 
In  1789  he  became  attorney-general  of  that 
state.  In  1791  he  was  chosen  to  represent 
the  state  of  New  York  in  the  United  States 
senate  and  held  that  position  for  six  years. 
In  1800  he  and  Thomas  Jefferson  were  both 
candidates  for  the  presidency,  and  there 
being  a  tie  in  the  electoral  college,  each 
having  seventy-three  votes,  the  choice  was 
left  to  congress,  who  gave  the  first  place  to 
Jefferson  and  made  Aaron  Burr  vice-presi- 
dent, as  the  method  then  was.  In  1804  Mr. 
Burr  and  his  great  rival,  Alexander  Hamil- 
ton, met  in  a  duel,  which  resulted  in  the 
death  of  the  latter,  Burr  losing  thereby  con- 


112 


COMPENDIUM  OF    niOi, li.\  I' IIY. 


siderable  political  and  social  influence.  He 
soon  embarked  in  a  wild  attempt  upon 
Mexico,  and  as  was  asserted,  upon  the 
southwestern  territories  of  the  United 
States.  He  was  tried  for  treason  at 
Richmond,  Virginia,  in  1807,  but  acquitted, 
and  to  avoid  importunate  creditors,  fled  to 
Europe.  After  a  time,  in  18 12,  he  returned 
to  New  York,  where  he  practiced  law,  and 
where  he  died,  September  14,  1836.  A  man 
of  great  ability,  brilliant  and  popular  talents, 
his  influence  was  destroyed  by  his  unscrupu- 
lous political  actions  and  immoral  private 
life.  

ALBERT  GALLATIN,  one  of  the  most 
distinguished  statesmen  of  the  early 
days  of  the  republic,  was  born  at  Geneva, 
Switzerland,  January  29,  1761.  He  was 
thesonof  Jean  de  Gallatin  and  Sophia  A. 
Rolaz  du  Rosey  Gallatin,  representatives  of 
an  old  patrician  family.  Albert  Gallatin 
was  left  an  orphan  at  an  early  age,  and  was 
educated  under  the  care  of  friends  of  his 
parents.  He  graduated  from  the  University 
of  Geneva  in  1779,  and  declining  employ- 
ment under  one  of  the  sovereigns  of  Ger- 
many, came  to  the  struggling  colonies,  land- 
ing in  Boston  July  14,  1780.  Shortly  after 
his  arrival  he  proceeded  to  Maine,  where  he 
served  as  a  volunteer  under  Colonel  Allen. 
He  made  advances  to  the  government  for 
the  support  of  the  American  troops,  and  in 
November,  1780,  was  placed  in  command 
of  a  small  fort  at  Passamaquoddy,  defended 
by  a  force  of  militia,  volunteers  and  Indians. 
In  1783  he  was  professor  of  the  French 
language  at  Harvard  University.  A  year 
later,  having  received  his  patrimony  from 
Europe,  he  purchased  large  tracts  of  land 
in  western  Virginia,  but  was  prevented  by 
the  Indians  from  forming  the  large  settle- 
ment he  proposed,  and,  in  1786,  purchased 


a  farm  in  Fayette  county,  Pennsylvania. 
In  1789  he  was  a  member  of  the  convention 
to  amend  the  constitution  of  that  state,  and 
united  himself  with  the  Republican  party, 
the  head  of  which  was  Thomas  Jefferson. 
The  following  year  he  was  elected  to  the 
legislature  of  Pennsylvania,  to  which  he  was 
subsequently  re-elected.  In  1793  he  was 
elected  to  the  United  States  senate,  but 
could  not  take  his  seat  on  account  of  not 
having  been  a  citizen  long  enough.  In  1794 
Mr.  Gallatin  was  elected  to  the  representa- 
tive branch  of  congress,  in  which  he  served 
three  terms.  He  also  took  an  important 
position  in  the  suppression  of  the  "whiskey 
insurrection."  In  iSoi,  on  the  accession  of 
Jefferson  to  the  presidency,  Mr.  Gallatin 
was  appointed  secretary  of  the  treasury. 
In  1809  Mr.  Madison  offered  him  the  posi- 
tion of  secretary  of  state,  but  he  declined, 
and  continued  at  the  head  of  the  treasury 
until  1812,  a  period  of  twelve  years.  He 
exercised  a  great  influence  on  the  other  de- 
partments and  in  the  general  administration, 
especially  in  the  matter  of  financial  reform, 
and  recommended  measures  for  taxation, 
etc. ,  which  were  passed  by  congress,  and  be- 
came laws  May  24,  18 1 3.  The  same  year  he 
was  sent  as  an  envoy  extraordinary  to  Rus- 
sia, which  had  offered  to  mediate  between 
this  country  and  Great  Britain,  but  the  lat- 
ter country  refusing  the  interposition  of 
another  power,  and  agreeing  to  treat  di- 
rectly with  the  United  States,  in  18 14,  at 
Ghent,  Mr.  Gallatin,  in  connection  with  his 
distinguished  colleagues,  negotiated  and 
signed  the  treaty  of  peace.  In  18 15,  in 
conjunction  with  Messrs.  Adams  and  Clay, 
he  signed,  at  London,  a  commercial  treaty 
between  the  two  countries.  In  18 16,  de- 
clining his  old  post  at  the  head  of  the  treas- 
ury, Mr.  Gallatin  was  sent  as  minister  to 
France,    where    he    remained    until    1823. 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


113 


After  a  year  spent  in  England  as  envoy  ex- 
traordinary, he  took  up  liis  residence  in  New 
York,  and  from  tfiat  time  held  no  public 
office.  In  1830  he  was  chosen  president  of 
the  council  of  the  University  of  New  York. 
He  was,  in  1831,  made  president  of  the 
National  bank,  which  position  he  resigned 
in  1839.      He  died  August  12,  1849. 


M 


ILLARD  FILLMORE,  the  thirteenth 
president  of  the  United  States,  was 
born  of  New  England  parentage  in  Summer 
Hill,  Cayuga  county,  New  York,  January  7, 
1800.  His  school  education  was  very  lim- 
ited, but  he  occupied  his  leisure  hours  in 
study.  He  worked  in  youth  upon  his  fa- 
ther's farm  in  his  native  county,  and  at  the 
age  of  fifteen  was  apprenticed  to  a  wool 
carder  and  cloth  dresSfer.  Four  years  later 
he  was  induced  by  Judge  Wood  to  enter  his 
office  at  Montville,  New  York,  and  take  up 
the  study  of  law.  This  warm  friend,  find- 
ing young  Fillmore  destitute  of  means, 
loaned  him  money,  but  the  latter,  not  wish- 
ing to  incur  a  heavy  debt,  taught  school 
during  part  of  the  time  and  in  this  and  other 
ways  helped  maintain  himself.  In  1822  he 
removed  to  Buffalo,  New  York,  and  the  year 
following,  being  admitted  to  the  bar,  he 
commenced  the  practice  of  his  profession 
at  East  Aurora,  in  the  same  state.  Here 
he  remained  until  1830,  having,  in  the 
meantime,  been  admitted  to  practice  in  the 
supreme  court,  when  he  returned  to  Buffalo, 
where  he  became  the  partner  of  S.  G. 
Haven  and  N.  K.  Hall.  He  entered  poli- 
tics and  served  in  the  state  legislature  from 
1829  to  1832.  He  was  in  congress  in  1833- 
35  and  in  1837-41,  where  he  proved  an 
active  and  useful  member,  favoring  the 
views  of  John  Quincy  Adams,  then  battling 
almost  alone  the  slave-holding  party  in  na- 
tional politics,  and  in   most  of   public  ques- 


tions acted  with  the  Whig  party.  While 
chairman  of  the  committee  of  ways  and 
means  he  took  a  leading  part  in  draughting 
the  tariff  bill  of  1842.  In  1844  Mr.  Fill- 
more was  the  Whig  candidate  for  governor 
of  New  York.  In  1847  he  was  chosen 
comptroller  of  the  state,  and  abandoning 
his  practice  and  profession  removed  to  Al- 
bany. In  1848  he  was  elected  vice  presi- 
dent on  the  ticket  with  General  Zachary 
Taylor,  and  they  were  inaugurated  the  fol- 
lowing March.  On  the  death  of  the  presi- 
dent, July  9,  1850,  Mr.  Fillmore  was  in- 
ducted into  that  office.  The  great  events 
of  his  administration  were  the  passage  of 
the  famous  compromise  acts  of  1850,  and 
the  sending  out  of  the  Japan  expedition  of 
1852. 

March  4,  1853,  having  served  one  term, 
President  Fillmore  retired  from  office,  and 
in  1855  went  to  Europe,  where  he  received 
marked  attention.  On  returning  home,  in 
1856,  he  was  nominated  for  the  presidency 
by  the  Native  American  or  "  Know-Noth- 
ing" party,  but  was  defeated,  James  Buch- 
anan being  the  successful  candidate. 

Mr.  Fillmore  ever  afterward  lived  in  re- 
tirement. During  the  conflict  of  Civil  war 
he  was  mostly  silent.  It  was  generally  sup- 
posed, however,  that  his  sympathy  was  with 
the  southern  confederacy.  He  kept  aloof 
from  the  conflict  without  any  words  of  cheer 
to  the  one  party  or  the  other.  For  this  rea- 
son he  was  forgotten  by  both.  He  died  of 
paralysis,  in  Buffalo,  New  York,  March  8, 
1874-  

PETER  F.  ROTHERMEL,  one  of  Amer- 
ica's greatest  and  best-known  historical 
painters,  was  born  in  Luzerne  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, July  8,  1817,  and  was  of  German 
ancestry.  He  received  his  earlier  education 
in   his   native  county,  and   in    Philadelphia 


114 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPUT. 


learned  the  profession  of  land  surveying. 
But  a  strong  bias  toward  art  drew  him  away 
and  he  soon  opened  a  studio  where  he  did 
portrait  painting.  This  soon  gave  place  to 
historical  painting,  he  having  discovered  tlie 
bent  of  iiis  genius  in  that  direction.  Be- 
sides the  two  pictures  in  the  Capitol  at 
Washington — '  'De  Soto  Discovering  the  Mis- 
sissippi" and  "Patrick  Henry  Before  the 
Virginia  House  of  Burgesses" — Rothermel 
painted  many  others,  chief  among  which 
are:  "Columbus  Before  Queen  Isabella," 
"Martyrs  of  the  Colosseum,"  "Cromwell 
Breaking  Up  Service  in  an  English  Church, " 
and  the  famous  picture  of  the  "Battle 
of  Gettysburg."  The  last  named  was 
painted  for  the  state  of  Pennsylvania,  for 
which  Rothermel  received  the  sum  of  $25,- 
000,  and  which  it  took  him  four  years  to 
plan  and  to  paint.  It  represents  the  portion 
of  that  historic  field  held  by  the  First  corps, 
an  exclusively  Pennsylvania  body  of  men, 
and  was  selected  by  Rothermel  for  that 
reason.  For  many  years  most  of  his  time 
was  spent  in  Italy,  only  returning  for  short 
periods.  He  died  at  Philadelphia,  August 
i6,  1895.  

EDMUND  KIRBY  SMITH,  one  of  the 
distinguished  leaders  upon  the  side  of  the 
south  in  the  late  Civil  war,  was  born  at  St. 
Augustine,  Florida,  in  1824.  After  receiv- 
ing the  usual  education  he  was  appointed  to 
the  United  States  Military  Academy  at  West 
Point,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1845  and 
entered  the  army  as  second  lieutenant  of 
infantry.  During  the  Mexican  war  he  was 
made  first  lieutenant  and  captain  for  gallant 
conduct  at  Cerro  Gordo  and  Contreras. 
From  1849  to  1852  he  was  assistant  pro- 
fessor of  mathematics  at  West  Point.  He 
was  transferred  to  the  Second  cavalry  with 
the  rank  of  captain  in   1855,  served  on  the 


frontier,  and  was  wounded  in  a  fight  with 
Comanche  Indians  in  Texas,  May  13,  1859. 
In  January,  1861,  he  became  major  of  his 
regiment,  but  resigned  April  9th  to  fol- 
low the  fortunes  of  the  southern  cause. 
He  was  appointed  brigadier-general  in  the 
Confederate  army  and  served  in  Virginia. 
At  the  battle  of  Bull  Run,  July  21,  1861, 
he  arrived  on  the  field  late  in  the  day,  but 
was  soon  disabled  by  a  wound.  He  was 
made  major-general  in  1862,  and  being  trans- 
ferred to  East  Tennessee,  was  given  com- 
mand of  that  department.  Under  General 
Braxton  Bragg  he  led  the  advance  in  the 
invasion  of  Kentucky  and  defeated  the  Union 
forces  at  Richmond,  Kentucky,  August  30, 

1862,  and  advanced  to  Frankfort.  Pro- 
moted to  the  rank  of  lieutenant-general,  he 
was  engaged  at  the  battle  of  Perryville, 
October  10,  and  in  the  battle  of  Murfrees- 
boro,   December  31,    1862,   and  January  3, 

1863.  He  was  soon  made  general,  the 
highest  rank  in  the  service,  and  in  com- 
mand of  the  trans-Mississippi  department 
opposed  General  N.  P.  Banks  in  the  famous 
Red  River  expedition,  taking  part  in  the 
battle  of  Jenkins  Ferry,  April  30,  1864,  and 
other  engagements  of  that  eventful  cam- 
paign. He  was  the  last  to  surrender  the 
forces  under  his  command,  which  he  did 
May  26,  1865.  After  the  close  of  the  war 
he  located  in  Tennessee,  where  he  died 
March  28,  1893. 


JOHN  JAMES  INGALLS,  a  famous 
American  statesman,  was  born  Decem- 
ber 29,  1833,  at  Middleton,  Massachusetts, 
where  he  was  reared  and  received  his  early 
education.  He  went  to  Kansas  in  1858 
and  joined  the  free-soil  army,  and  a  year 
after  his  arrival  he  was  a  member  of  the  his- 
torical Wyandotte  convention,  which  drafted 
a   free-state  constitution.      In  i860  he  was 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


V^ 


made  secretary  of  the  territorial  council, 
and  in  1861  was  secretary  of  the  state  sen- 
ate. The  next  year  he  was  duly  elected  to 
the  legitimate  state  senate  from  Atchison, 
where  he  had  made  his  home.  From  that 
time  he  was  the  leader  of  the  radical  Re- 
publican element  in  the  state.  He  became 
the  editor  of  the  "  Atchison  Champion  "  in 
1863,  which  was  a  "red-hot  free-soil  Re- 
publican organ."  In  1862  he  was  the  anti- 
Lane  candidate  for  lieutenant-governor,  but 
was  defeated.  He  was  elected  to  the  Unit- 
ed States  senate  to  succeed  Senator  Pom- 
eroy,  and  took  his  seat  in  the  forty-third 
congress  and  served  until  the  fiftieth.  In 
the  forty-ninth  congress  he  succeeded  Sen- 
ator Sherman  as  president  pro  tern.,  which 
position  he  held  through  the  fiftieth  con- 
gress. 

BENJAMIN  WEST,  the  greatest  of  the 
early  American  painters,  was  of  Eng- 
lish descent  and  Quaker  parentage.  He  was 
born  in  Springfield,  Pennsylvania,  in  1738. 
From  what  source  he  inherited  his  genius  it 
is  hard  to  imagine,  since  the  tenets  and 
tendencies  of  the  Quaker  faith  were  not  cal- 
culated to  encourage  the  genius  of  art,  but 
at  the  age  of  nine  years,  with  no  suggestion 
except  that  of  inspiration,  we  find  him  choos- 
ing his  model  from  life,  and  laboring  over 
his  first  work  calculated  to  attract  public 
notice.  It  was  a  representation  of  a  sleep- 
ing child  in  its  cradle.  The  brush  with 
which  he  painted  it  was  made  of  hairs 
which  he  plucked  from  the  cat's  tail,  and 
the  colors  were  obtained  from  the  war  paints 
of  friendly  Indians,  his  mother's  indigo  bag, 
and  ground  chalk  and  charcoal,  and  the  juice 
of  berries,  but  there  were  touches  in  the  rude 
production  that  he  declared  in  later  days 
were  a  credit  to  his  best  works.  The  pic- 
ture  attracted    notice,    for    a    council    was 


called  at  once  to  pass  upon  the  boy's  con- 
duct in  thus  infringing  the  laws  of  the  so- 
ciety. There  were  judges  among  them  who 
saw  in  his  genius  a  rare  gift  and  their  wis- 
dom prevailed,  and  the  child  was  given  per- 
mission to  follow  his  inclination.  He  studied 
under  a  painter  named  Williams,  and  then 
spent  some  years  as  a  portrait  painter  with 
advancing  success.  At  the  age  of  twenty- 
two  he  went  to  Italy,  and  not  until  he  had 
perfected  himself  by  twenty-three  years  of 
labor  in  that  paradise  of  art  was  he  satisfied 
to  turn  his  face  toward  home.  However,  he 
stopped  at  London,  and  decided  to  settle 
there,  sending  to  America  for  his  intended 
bride  to  join  him.  Though  the  Revolution- 
ary war  was  raging.  King  George  III  showed 
the  American  artist  the  highest  considera- 
tion and  regard.  His  remuneration  from 
works  for  royalty  amounted  to  five  thou' 
sand  dollars  per  year  for  thirty  years. 

West's  best  known  work  in  America  is, 
perhaps,  "  The  Death  of  General  Wolf." 
West  was  one  of  the  thirty-six  original  mem- 
bers of  the  Royal  academy  and  succeeded 
Joshua  Reynolds  as  president,  which  posi- 
tion he  held  until  his  death.  His  early 
works  were  his  best,  as  he  ceased  to  display 
originality  in  his  later  life,  conventionality 
having  seriously  affected  his  efforts.  He 
died  in  1820. 


SAMUEL  PORTER  JONES,  the  famous 
Georgia  evangelist,  was  born  October 
16,  1847,  in  Chambers  county,  Alabama. 
He  did  not  attend  school  regularly  during 
his  boyhood,  but  worked  on  a  farm,  and 
went  to  school  at  intervals,  on  account  of 
ill  health.  His  father  removed  to  Carters- 
ville,  Georgia,  when  Mr.  Jones  was  a  small 
boy.  He  quit  school  at  the  age  of  nineteen 
and  never  attended  college.  The  war  inter- 
fered with  his  education,  which  was  intended 


116 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGJiAPHr. 


to  prepare  him  for  the  legal  profession. 
After  the  war  he  renewed  his  preparation 
for  college,  but  was  compelled  to  desist  from 
such  a  course,  as  his  health  failed  him  en- 
tirely. Later  on,  however,  he  still  pursued 
his  legal  studies  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar.  Soon  after  this  event  he  went  to  Dal- 
las, Paulding  county,  Georgia,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession, 
and  in  a  few  months  removed  to  Cherokee 
county,  Alabama,  where  he  taught  school. 
In  1869  he  returned  to  Cartersville,  Georgia, 
and  arrived  in  time  to  see  his  father  die. 
Immediately  after  this  event  he  applied  for 
a  license  to  preach,  and  went  to  Atlanta, 
Georgia,  to  the  meeting  of  the  North  Geor- 
gia Conference  of  the  M.  E.  church  south, 
which  received  him  on  trial.  He  became 
an  evangelist  of  great  note,  and  traveled 
extensively,  delivering  his  sermons  in  an 
inimitable  style  that  made  him  very  popular 
with  the  masses,  his  methods  of  conducting 
revivals  being  unique  and  original  and  his 
preaching  practical  and  incisive. 


SHELBY  MOORE  CULLOM,  a  national 
character  in  political  affairs  and  for 
many  years  United  States  senator  from 
Illinois,  was  born  November  22,  1829,  at 
Monticello,  Kentucky.  He  came  with  his 
parents  to  Illinois  in  1 830  and  spent  his  early 
yearson  afarm,  but  havingformed  the  purpose 
of  devoting  himself  to  the  lawyer's  profession 
he  spent  two  years  study  at  the  Rock  River 
seminary  atMount Morris,  Illinois.  In  1853 
Mr.  Cullom  entered  the  law  office  of  Stuart 
and  Edwards  at  Springfield,  Illinois,  and  two 
years  later  he  began  the  independent  prac- 
tice of  law  in  that  citj'.  He  took  an  active 
interest  in  politics  and  was  soon  elected  city 
attorney  of  Springfield.  In  1856  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  Illinois  house  of 
representatives.     He  identified  himself  with 


the  newly  formed  Republican  party  and  in 
i860  was  re-elected  to  the  legislature  of  his 
state,  in  which  he  was  chosen  speaker  of  the 
house.  In  1862  President  Lincoln  appoint- 
ed a  commission  to  pass  upon  and  examine 
the  accounts  of  the  United  States  quarter- 
masters and  disbursing  officers,  composed 
as  follows:  Shelby  M.  Cullom,  of  Illinois; 
Charles  A.  Dana,  of  New  York,  and 
Gov.  Boutwell,  of  Massachusetts.  Mr. 
Cullom  was  ncm.inated  for  congress  in 
1864,  and  was  elected  by  a  majority  of 
1,785.  In  the  house  of  representatives  he 
became  an  active  and  aggressive  member, 
was  chairman  of  the  committee  on  territories 
and  served  in  congress  until  1868.  Mr. 
Cullom  was  returned  to  the  state  legislature, 
of  which  he  was  chosen  speaker  in  1872, 
and  was  re-elected  in  1874.  In  1876  he 
was  elected  governor  of  Illinois  and  at  the 
end  of  his  term  he  was  chosen  for  a  second 
term.  He  was  elected  United  States  senator 
in  1883  and  twice  re-elected. 


RICHARD  JORDAN  CATLING,  an 
Am.erican  inventor  of  much  note,  was 
born  in  Hertford  county.  North  Carolina, 
September  12,  1818.  At  an  early  age  he 
gave  promise  of  an  inventive  genius.  The 
first  emanation  from  his  mind  was  the 
invention  of  a  screw  for  the  propulsion  oi 
water  craft,  but  on  application  for  a 
patent,  found  that  he  was  forestalled  but 
a  short  time  by  John  Ericsson.  Subse- 
quently he  invented  a  machine  for  sowing 
wheat  in  drills,  which  was  used  to  a  great 
extent  throughout  the  west.  He  then  stud- 
ied medicine,  and  in  1847-8  attended 
lectures  at  the  Indiana  Medical  College 
at  Laporte,  and  in  1848-9  at  the  Ohio 
Medical  College  at  Cincinnati.  He  later 
discovered  a  method  of  transmitting  power 
through  the  medium  of  compressed  air.     A 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


110 


double-acting  hemp  break  was  also  invented 
by  him.  The  invention,  however,  by  which 
Dr.  Gatling  became  best  known  wis  the 
famous  machine  gun  which  bears  his  name. 
This  he  brought  to  light  in  1861-62,  and  on 
the  first  trial  of  it,  in  the  spring  of  the  latter 
year,  two  hundred  shots  per  minute  were 
fired  from  it.  After  making  some  improve- 
ments which  increased  its  efficiency,  it  was 
submitted  to  severe  trials  by  our  govern- 
ment at  the  arsenals  at  Frankfort,  Wash- 
ington and  Fortress  Monroe,  and  at  other 
points.  The  gun  was  finally  adopted  by 
our  government,  as  well  as  by  that  of  Great 
Britain,  Russia  and  others. 


BENJAMIN  RYAN  TILLMAN,  who  won 
a  national  fame  in  politics,  was  born 
August  II,  1847,  in  Edgefield  county.  South 
Carolina.  He  received  his  education  in  the 
Oldfield  school,  where  he  acquired  the 
rudiments  of  Latin  and  Greek,  in  addition 
to  a  good  English  education.  He  left  school 
in  1864  to  join  the  Confederate  army,  but 
was  prevented  from  doing  so  by  a  severe 
illness,  which  resulted  in  the  loss  of  an  eye. 
In  1867  he  removed  to  Florida,  but  returned 
in  1868,  when  he  was  married  and  devoted 
himself  to  farming.  He  was  chairman  of 
the  Democratic  organization  of  his  county, 
but  except  a  few  occasional  services  he  took 
no  active  part  in  politics  then.  Gradually, 
however,  his  attention  was  directed  to  the 
depressed  condition  of  the  farming  interests 
of  his  state,  and  in  August,  1885,  before  a 
joint  meeting  of  the  agricultural  society  and 
state  grange  at  Bennettsville,  he  made  a 
speech  in  which  he  set  forth  the  cause  of 
agricultural  depression  and  urged  measures 
of  relief.  From  his  active  interest  in  the 
farming  class  he  was  styled  the  "Agricult- 
ural Moses."     He  advocated  an  industrial 

school  for   women  and  for  a  separate  agri- 
7 


cultural  college,  and  in  1887  he  secured  a 
modification  in  the  final  draft  of  the  will  of 
Thomas  G.  Clemson,  which  resulted  in  the 
erection  of  the  Clemson  Agricultural  Col- 
lege at  Fort  Hill.  In  1890  he  was  chosen 
governor  on  the  Democratic  ticket,  and 
carried  the  election  by  a  large  majority. 
Governor  Tillman  was  inaugurated  Decem- 
ber 4,  1S90.  Mr.  Tillman  was  next  elected 
to  the  United  States  senate  from  South 
Carolina,  and  gained  a  national  reputation 
by  his  fervid  oratory. 


GEORGE  DENISON  PRENTICE.— 
No  journalist  of  America  was  so  cele- 
brated in  his  time  for  the  wit,  spice,  and 
vigor  of  his  writing,  as  the  gentleman  whose 
name  heads  this  sketch.  From  Atlantic  to 
Pacific  he  was  well  known  by  his  witticism 
as  well  as  by  strength  and  force  of  his  edi- 
torials. He  was  a  native  of  Preston,  Con- 
necticut, born  December  18,  1802.  After 
laying  the  foundation  of  a  liberal  education 
in  his  youth,  he  entered  Brown  University, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1823.  Tak- 
ing up  the  study  of  law,  he  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  1829.  During  part  of  his  time 
he  was  editor  of  the  "  New  England  Weekly 
Review,"  a  position  which  he  relinquished 
to  go  south  and  was  succeeded  by  John 
Greenleaf  Whittier,  the  Quaker  poet. 

On  arriving  in  Louisville,  whither  he 
had  gone  to  gather  items  for  his  history  of 
Henry  Clay,  Mr.  Prentice  became  identified 
with  the  "  Louisville  Journal,"  which,  under 
his  hands,  became  one  of  the  leading  Whig 
newspapers  of  the  country.  At  the  head  of 
this  he  remained  until  the  day  of  his  death. 
This  latter  event  occurred  January  22,  1870, 
and  he  was  succeeded  in  the  control  of  the 
"Journal"  by    Colonel    Henry  Watterson. 

Mr.  Prentice  was  an  author  of  consider- 
able celebrity,  chief  among  his  works  being 


120 


COMI'EXDJi  M    OF    BJOGRArilV. 


"The  Life  of  Henry  Clay,"  and  "  Prentice- 
ana,"  a  collection  of  wit  and  humor,  that 
passed  through  several  large  editions. 


SAM.  HOUSTON,  in  the  opinion  of  some 
critics  one  of  the  most  remarkable  men 
who  ever  figured  in  American  history,  was  a 
native  of  Rockbridge  county,  Virginia,  born 
March  2,  1793.  Early  in  life  he  was  left  in 
destitute  circumstances  by  the  death  of  his 
father,  and,  with  his  mother,  removed  to 
Tennessee,  then  almost  a  boundless  wilder- 
ness. He  received  but  little  education, 
spending  the  most  of  his  time  among  the 
Cherokee  Indians.  Part  of  the  time  of  his 
residence  there  Houston  acted  as  clerk  for  a 
trader  and  also  taught  one  of  the  primitive 
schools  of  the  day.  In  1S13  he  enlisted  as 
private  in  the  United  States  army  and  was 
engaged  under  General  Jackson  in  the  war 
with  the  Creek  Indians.  When  peace  was 
made  Houston  was  a  lieutenant,  but  he  re- 
signed his  commission  and  commenced  the 
Study  of  law  at  Nashville.  After  holding 
some  minor  offices  he  was  elected  member 
of  congress  from  Tennessee.  This  was  in 
1823.  He  retained  this  office  until  1827, 
when  he  was  chosen  governor  of  the  state. 
In  1829,  resigning  that  office  before  the  ex- 
piration of  his  term,  Sam  Houston  removed 
to  Arkansas,  and  made  his  home  among  the 
Cherokees,  becoming  the  agent  of  that 
tribe  and  representing  their  interests  at 
Washington.  On  a  visit  to  Texas,  just 
prior  to  the  election  of  delegates  to  a  con- 
vention called  for  the  purpose  of  drawing 
up  a  constitution  previous  to  the  admission 
of  the  state  into  the  Mexican  union,  he  was 
unanimously  chosen  a  delegate.  The  con- 
vention framed  the  constitution,  but,  it  be- 
ing rejected  by  the  government  of  Mexico, 
and  the  petition  for  admission  to  the  Con- 
federacy denied  and  the  Texans  told  by  the 


president  of  the  Mexican  union  to  give  up 
their  arms,  bred  trouble.  It  was  determined 
to  resist  this  demand.  A  military  force  was 
soon  organized,  with  General  Houston  at 
the  head  of  it.  War  was  prosecuted  with 
great  vigor,  and  with  varying  success,  but 
at  the  battle  of  San  Jacinto,  April  21,1 836, 
the  Mexicans  were  defeated  and  their  leader 
and  president,  Santa  Anna,  captured.  Texas 
was  then  proclaimed  an  independent  repub- 
lic, and  in  October  of  the  same  year  Hous- 
ton was  inaugurated  president.  On  the  ad- 
mission of  Texas  to  the  Federal  Union,  in 
1845,  Houston  was  elected  senator,  and 
held  that  position  for  twelve  years.  Oppos- 
ing the  idea  of  secession,  he  retired  from 
political  life  in  1861,  and  died  at  Hunts- 
ville,  Texas,  July  25,  1863. 


ELI  WHITNEY,  the  inventor  of  the  cot- 
ton-gin, was  born  in  Westborough,  Mas- 
sachusetts, December  8,  1765.  After  his 
graduation  from  Yale  College,  he  went  to 
Georgia,  where  he  studied  law,  and  lived 
with  the  family  of  the  widow  of  General 
Nathaniel  Greene.  At  that  time  the  only 
way  known  to  separate  the  cotton  seed  from 
the  fiber  was  by  hand,  making  it  extremely 
slow  and  expensive,  and  for  this  reason  cot- 
ton was  little  cultivated  in  this  country. 
Mrs.  Greene  urged  the  inventive  Whitney 
to  devise  some  means  for  accomplishing 
this  work  by  machinery.  This  he  finally 
succeeded  in  doing,  but  he  was  harassed  by 
attempts  to  defraud  him  by  those  who  had 
stolen  his  ideas.  He  at  last  formed  a  part- 
nership with  a  man  named  Miller,  and  they 
began  the  manufacture  of  the  machines  at 
Washington,  Georgia,  in  1795.  The  suc- 
cess of  his  invention  was  immediate,  and  the 
legislature  of  South  Carolina  voted  the  sum 
of  $50,000  for  his  idea.  This  sum  he  had 
great  difficulty  in  collecting,  after  years  of 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


121 


litigation  and  delay.  North  Carolina  al- 
lowed him  a  royalty,  and  the  same  was 
agreed  to  by  Tennessee,  but  was  never  paid. 

While  his  fame  rests  upon  the  invention 
of  the  cotton-gin,  his  fortune  came  from  his 
improvements  in  the  manufacture  and  con- 
struction of  firearms.  In  1798  the  United 
States  government  gave  him  a  contract  for 
this  purpose,  and  he  accumulated  a  fortune 
from  it.  The  town  of  Whitneyville,  Con- 
necticut, was  founded  by  this  fortune. 
Whitney  died  at  New  Haven,  Connecticut, 
January  8,   1825. 

The  cotton-gin  made  the  cultivation  of 
cotton  profitable,  and  this  led  to  rapid  in- 
troduction of  slavery  in  the  south.  His  in- 
vention thus  affected  our  national  history  in 
a  manner  little  dreamed  of  by  the  inventor. 


LESTER  WALLACK  (John  Lester  Wal- 
lack),  for  many  years  the  leading  light 
comedian  upon  the  American  stage,  was 
the  son  of  James  W.  Wallack,  the  "  Brum- 
mell  of  the  Stage."  Both  father  and  son 
were  noted  for  their  comeliness  of  feature 
and  form.  Lester  Wallack  was  born  in 
New  York,  January  i,  1819.  He  received 
his  education  in  England,  and  made  his  first 
appearance  on  the  stage  in  1848  at  the  New 
Broadway  theater.  New  York.  He  acted 
light  comedy  parts,  and  also  occasion- 
ally in  romantic  plays  like  Monte  Cristo, 
which  play  made  him  his  fame.  He  went 
to  England  and  played  under  management 
of  such  men  as  Hamblin  and  Burton, and  then 
returned  to  New  York  with  his  father,  who 
opened  the  first  Wallack's  theater,  at  the 
corner  of  Broome  and  Broadway,  in  1852. 
The  location  was  afterward  changed  to 
Thirteenth  and  Broadway,  in  1861,  and 
later  to  its  present  location,  Broadway  and 
Thirteenth,  in  1882.  The  elder  Wallack 
died  in    1864,    after  which  Lester  assumed 


management,  jointly  with  Theodore  Moss. 
Lester  Wallack  was  commissioned  in  the 
queen's  service  while  in  England,  and  there 
he  also  married  a  sister  to  the  famous  artist, 
the  late  John  Everett  Millais.  While  Les- 
ter Wallack  never  played  in  the  interior 
cities,  his  name  was  as  familiar  to  the  public 
as  that  of  our  greatest  stars.  He  died  Sep- 
tember 6,   1888,  at  Stamford,   Connecticut. 


GEORGE  MORTIMER  PULLMAN, 
the  palace  car  magnate,  inventor, 
multi-millionaire  and  manufacturer,  may 
well  be  classed  among  the  remarkable 
self-made  men  of  the  century.  He  was 
born  March  3,  1831,  in  Chautauqua  county, 
New  York.  His  parents  were  poor,  and 
his  education  was  limited  to  what  he  could 
learn  of  the  rudimentary  branches  in  the 
district  school.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  he 
went  to  work  as  clerk  for  a  country  mer- 
chant. He  kept  this  place  three  years, 
studying  at  night.  When  seventeen  he 
went  to  Albion,  New  York,  and  worked  for 
his  brother,  who  kept  a  cabinet  shop  there. 
Five  years  later  he  went  into  business  for 
himself  as  contractor  for  moving  buildings 
along  the  line  of  the  Erie  canal,  which  was 
then  being  widened  by  the  state,  and  was 
.successful  in  thii.  In  1858  he  removed  to 
Chicago  and  engaged  in  the  business  of 
moving  and  raising  houses.  The  work  was 
novel  there  then  and  he  was  quite  success- 
ful. About  this  time  the  discomfort  attend- 
ant on  traveling  at  night  attracted  his  at- 
tention. He  reasoned  that  the  public  would 
gladly  pay  for  comfortable  sleeping  accom- 
modations. A  few  sleeping  cars  were  in 
use  at  that  time,  but  they  were  wretchedly 
crude,  uncomfortable  affairs.  In  1859  he 
bought  two  old  day  coaches  from  the  Chi- 
cago &  Alton  road  and  remodeled  them  some- 
thing like  the  general  plan  of  the  sleepinp- 


122 


COMPENDIUM   OF    BIOGRAPHT. 


cars  of  the  present  day.  They  were  put 
into  service  on  the  Chicago  &  Alton  and 
became  popular  at  once.  In  1863  he  built 
the  first  sleeping-car  resembling  the  Pullman 
cars  of  to-day.  It  cost  $18,000  and  was 
the  "Pioneer."  After  that  the  Pullman 
Palace  Car  Company  prospered.  It  had 
shops  at  different  cities.  In  1880  the  Town 
of  Pullman  was  founded  by  Mr.  Pullman 
and  his  company,  and  this  model  manufac- 
turing community  is  known  all  over  the 
world.    Mr.  Pullman  died  October  19,  1897. 


JAMES  E.  B.  STUART,  the  most  famous 
cavalry  leader  of  the  Southern  Confed- 
eracy during  the  Civil  war,  was  born  in 
Patrick  county,  Virginia,  in  1S33.  On 
graduating  from  the  United  States  Military 
Academy,  West  Point,  in  1854,  he  was  as- 
signed, as  second  lieutenant,  to  a  regiment 
of  mounted  rifles,  receiving  his  commission 
in  October.  In  March,  1S55,  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  newly  organized  First  cavalry, 
and  was  promoted  to  first  lieutenant  the 
following  December,  and  to  captain  April 
22,  1861.  Taking  the  side  of  the  south, 
May  14,  1861,  he  was  made  colonel  of  a 
Virginia  cavalry  regiment,  and  served  as 
such  at  Bull  Run.  In  September,  1861,  he 
was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  brigadier-gen- 
erai.  and  major-general  early  in  1862.  On 
the  reorganization  of  the  Army  of  Northern 
Virginia,  in  June  of  the  latter  year,  when 
R.  E.  Lee  assumed  command.  General  Stu- 
art made  a  reconnoissance  with  one  thou- 
sand five  hundred  cavalry  and  four  guns, 
and  in  two  days  made  the  circuit  of  McClel- 
lan's  army,  producing  much  confusion  and 
gathering  useful  information,  and  losing  but 
one  man.  August  25,  1862,  he  captured 
part  of  Pope's  headquarters'  train,  including 
that  general's  private  baggage  and  official 
correspondence,    and  the   next  night,    in  a 


descent  upon  Manasses,  capturing  immense 
quantities  of  commissary  and  quartermaster 
store,  eight  guns,  a  number  of  locomotives 
and  a  few  hundred  prisoners.  During  the 
invasion  of  Maryland,  in  September,  1862, 
General  Stuart  acted  as  rearguard,  resisting 
the  advance  of  the  Federal  cavalry  at  South 
Mountain,  and  at  Antietam  commanded  the 
Confederate  left.  Shortly  after  he  crossed 
the  Potomac,  making  a  raid  as  far  as  Cham- 
hersburg,  Pennsylvania.  In  the  battle  of 
Fredericksburg,  December  13,  1862,  Gen- 
eral Stuart's  command  was  on  the  extreme 
right  of  the  Confederate  line.  At  Chancel- 
lorsville,  after  "Stonewall  "  Jackson's  death 
and  the  wounding  of  General  A.  P.  Hill, 
General  Stuart  assumed  command  of  Jack- 
son's corps,  which  he  led  in  the  severe  con- 
test of  May  3,  1863.  Early  in  June,  the 
same  year,  a  large  force  of  cavalry  was 
gathered  under  Stuart,  at  Culpepper,  Vir- 
ginia, which,  advancing  to  join  General  Lee 
in  his  invasion  of  Pennsylvania,  was  met  at 
Brandy  Station,  by  two  divisions  of  cavalry 
and  two  brigades  of  infantry,  under  General 
John  I.  Gregg,  and  driven  back.  During  the 
movements  of  the  Gettysburg  campaign  he 
rendered  important  services.  In  May,  1 864, 
General  Stuart  succeeded,  by  a  detour,  in 
placing  himself  between  Richmond  and 
Sheridan's  advancing  column,  and  at  Yellow 
Tavern  was  attacked  in  force.  During  the 
fierce  conflict  that  ensued  General  Stuart 
was  mortally  wounded,  and  died  at  Rich- 
mond, May  II,  1864. 


FRANKLIN  PIERCE,  the  fourteenth 
president  of  the  United  States — from 
1853  until  1857 — was  born  November  23, 
1804,  at  Hillsboro,  New  Hampshire.  He 
came  of  old  revolutionary  stock  and  his 
father  was  a  governor  of  the  state.  Mr. 
Pierce  entered  Bowdoin   College  in   1820, 


COMPENDIUM   OF    BIOGRAPHT. 


123 


was  graduated  in  1824,  and  took  up  the 
study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Judge  Wood- 
bury, and  later  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar. 
Mr.  Pierce  practiced  his  profession  with 
varying  successes  in  his  native  town  and 
also  in  Concord.  He  was  elected  to  the 
state  legislature  in  1833  and  served  in  that 
body  until  1S37,  the  last  two  years  of  his 
term  serving  as  speaker  of  the  house.  He 
was  elected  to  the  United  States  senate  in 
1837,  just  as  President  Van  Buren  began 
his  term  of  office.  Mr.  Pierce  served  until 
1842,  and  many  times  during  Polk's  term  he 
declined  important  public  offices.  During 
the  war  with  Mexico  Mr.  Pierce  was  ap- 
pointed brigadier-general,  and  he  embarked 
with  a  portion  of  his  troops  at  Newport, 
Rhode  Island,  May  27,  1847,  and  went  with 
them  to  the  field  of  battle.  He  served 
through  the  war  and  distinguished  himself 
by  his  skill,  bravery  and  excellent  judg- 
ment. When  he  reached  his  home  in  his 
native  state  he  was  received  coldly  by  the 
opponents  of  the  war,  but  the  advocates  of 
the  war  made  up  for  his  cold  reception  by 
the  enthusiastic  welcome  which  they  ac- 
corded him.  Mr.  Pierce  resumed  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession,  and  in  the  political 
strife  that  followed  he  gave  his  support  to 
the  pro-slavery  wing  of  the  Democratic 
party.  The  Democratic  convention  met  in 
Baltimore,  June  12,  1852,  to  nominate  a 
candidate  for  the  presidency,  and  they  con- 
tinued in  session  four  days,  and  in  thirty- 
five  ballotings  no  one  had  secured  the  re- 
quisite two-thirds  vote.  Mr.  Pierce  had  not 
received  a  vote  as  yet,  until  the  Virginia 
delegation  brought  his  name  forward,  and 
finally  on  the  forty-ninth  ballot  Mr.  Pierce 
received  282  votes  and  all  the  other  candi- 
dates eleven.  His  opponent  on  the  Whig 
ticket  was  General  Winiield  Scott,  who 
only  received    the  electoral  votes   of    four 


states.  Mr.  Pierce  was  inaugurated  presi- 
dent of  the  United  States  March  4,  1853, 
with  W.  R.  King  as  vice  president,  and  the 
following  named  gentlemen  were  afterward 
chosen  to  fill  the  positions  in  the  cabinet: 
William  S.  Marcy,  James  Guthrie,  Jeffer- 
son Davis,  James  C.  Dobbin,  Robert  Mc- 
Clelland, James  Campbell  and  Caleb  Gush- 
ing. During  the  administration  of  President 
Pierce  the  Missouri  compromise  law  was 
repealed,  and  all  the  territories  of  the  Union 
were  thrown  open  to  slavery,  and  the  dis- 
turbances in  Kansas  occurred.  In  1857  he 
was  succeeded  in  the  presidency  by  James 
Buchanan,  and  retired  to  his  home  in  Con- 
cord, New  Hampshire.  He  always  cherished 
his  principles  of  slavery,  and  at  the  out- 
break of  the  rebellion  he  was  an  adherent  of 
the  cause  of  the  Confederacy.  He  died  at 
Concord,  New  Hampshire,  October  8,  1869. 


JAMES  B.  WEAVER,  well  known  as  a 
leader  of  the  Greenback  and  later  of  the 
Populist  party,  was  born  at  Dayton,  Ohio, 
June  12,  1833.  He  received  his  earlier 
education  in  the  schools  of  his  native  town, 
and  entered  the  law  department  of  the  Ohio 
University,  at  Cincinnati,  from  which  he 
graduated  in  1854.  Removing  to  the  grow- 
ing state  of  Iowa,  he  became  connected 
with  "The  Iowa  Tribune,"  at  the  state 
capital,  Des  Moines,  as  one  of  its  editors. 
He  afterward  practiced  law  and  was  elected 
district  attorney  for  the  second  judicial  dis- 
trict of  Iowa,  on  the  Republican  ticket  in 
1866,  which  office  he  held  for  a  short  time. 
In  1867  Mr.  Weaver  was  appointed  assessor 
of  internal  revenue  for  the  first  district  of 
Iowa,  and  filled  that  position  until  some- 
time in  1873.  He  was  elected  and  served 
in  the  forty-sixth  congress.  In  1880  the 
National  or  Greenback  party  in  convention 
at  Chicago,  nominated  James  B.  Weaver  as 


124 


COMPENDIUM   OF    lUOGRAPlll . 


•Is  candidate  for  the  presidency.  By  a 
union  of  the  Democratic  and  National 
parties  in  his  district,  he  was  elected  to  the 
forty-ninth  congress,  and  re-elected  to  the 
same  oflice  in  the  fall  of  iS86.  Mr.  Weaver 
was  conceded  to  be  a  very  fluent  speaker, 
and  quite  active  in  all  political  work.  On 
July  4,  1893,  at  the  National  convention 
of  the  People's  party.  General  James  B. 
Weaver  was  chosen  as  the  candidate  for 
president  of  that  organization,  and  during 
the  campaign  that  followed,  gained  a  na- 
tional reputation. 


ANTHONY  JOSEPH  DREXEL,  one 
of  the  leading  bankers  and  financiers  of 
the  United  States,  was  born  in  Philadelphia, 
Pennsylvania,  in  1826,  and  was  the  son  of 
Francis  M.  Drexel,  who  had  established 
the  large  banking  institution  of  Drexel  & 
Co.,  so  well  known.  The  latter  was  a  native, 
of  Dornbirn,  in  the  Austrian  Tyrol.  He 
studied  languages  and  fine  arts  at  Turin, 
Italy.  On  returning  to  his  mountain  home, 
in  1809,  and  finding  it  in  the  hands  of  the 
French,  he  went  to  Switzerland  and  later 
to  Paris.  In  i8i2,aftera  short  visit  home, 
he  went  to  Berlin,  where  he  studied  paint- 
ing until  18 17,  in  which  year  he  emigrated 
io  America,  and  settled  in  Philadelphia.  A 
few  years  later  he  went  to  Chili  and  Peru, 
where  he  executed  some  fine  portraits  of 
notable  people,  including  General  Simon 
Bolivar.  After  spending  some  time  in  Mex- 
ico, he  returned  to  Philadelphia,  and  en- 
gaged in  the  banking  business.  In  1837  he 
founded  the  house  of  Drexel  &  Co.  He 
died  in  1837,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  two 
sons,  Anthony  J.  and  Francis  A.  His  son, 
Anthony  J.  Drexel,  Jr. ,  entered  the  bank 
when  he  was  thirteen  years  of  age,  before  he 
was  through  with  his  schooling,  and  after 
that  the  history  of  the  banking  business  of 


which  he  was  the  head,  was  the  history  of  his 
life.  The  New  York  house  of  Drexel,  Mor- 
gan &  Co.  was  established  in  1850;  the 
Paris  house,  Drexel,  Harjes  &  Co., in  1867. 
The  Drexel  banking  houses  have  supplied 
iand  placed  hundreds  of  millions  of  dollars 
n  government,  corporation,  railroad  and 
other  loans  and  securities.  The  reputation 
of  the  houses  has  always  been  held  on  the 
highest  plane.  Mr.  Drexel  founded  and 
iieavily  endowed  the  Drexel  Institute,  in 
Philadelphia,  an  institution  to  furnish  better 
and  wider  avenues  of  employment  to  young 
people  of  both  sexes.  It  has  departments 
of  arts,  science,  mechanical  arts  and  domes- 
tic economy.  Mr.  Drexel,Jr.,  departed  this 
life  June  30,  1893. 


SAMUEL  FINLEY  BREESE  MORSE. 
inventor  of  the  recording  telegraph  in- 
strument, was  born  in  Charlestown,  Massa- 
chusetts, April  27,  1 79 1.  He  graduated 
from  Yale  College  in  18 10,  and  took  up  art 
as  his  profession.  He  went  to  London  with 
the  great  American  painter,  Washington 
Allston,  and  studied  in  the  Royal  Academy 
under  Benjamin  West.  His  "Dying  Her- 
cules," his  first  effort  in  sculpture,  took  the 
gold  medal  in  1813.  He  returned  to  Amer- 
ica in  18 1 5  and  continued  to  pursue  his 
profession.  He  was  greatly  interested  in 
scientific  studies,  which  he  carried  on  in 
connection  with  other  labors.  He  founded 
the  National  Academy  of  Design  and  was 
many  years  its  president.  He  returned  to 
Europe  and  spent  three  years  in  study 
in  the  art  centers,  Rome,  Florence,  Venice 
and  Paris.  In  1832  he  returned  to  America 
and  while  on  the  return  voyage  the  idea  of 
a  recording  telegraph  apparatus  occurred  to 
him,  and  he  made  a  drawing  to  represent  his 
conception.  He  was  the  first  to  occupy  the 
chair  of    fine  arts  in  the  University  of  New 


COMPENDIUM   OF    BIOGRAPHT. 


125 


York  City,  and  in  1835  he  set  up  his  rude 
instrument  in  his  room  in  the  university. 
But  it  was  not  until  after  many  years  of 
discouragement  and  reverses  of  fortune  that 
lie  finally  was  successful  in  placing  his  inven- 
tion before  the  public.  In  1844,  by  aid  of 
the  United  States  government,  he  had  con- 
structed a  telegraph  line  forty  miles  in  length 
from  Washington  to  Baltimore.  Over  this 
line  tJie  test  was  made,  and  the  first  tele- 
gjaphic  message  was  flashed  May  24,  1844, 
from  the  United  States  supreme  court  rooms 
to  Baltimore.  It  read,  "What  hath  God 
wrought!"  His  fame  and  fortune  were  es- 
tablished in  an  instant.  Wealth  and  honors 
poured  in  upon  him  from  that  day.  The 
nations  of  Europe  vied  with  each  other 
in  honoring  the  great  inventor  with  medals, 
titles  and  decorations,  and  the  learned 
societies  of  Europe  hastened  to  enroll  his 
name  upon  their  membership  lists  and  confer 
degrees.  In  1858  he  was  the  recipient  of  an 
honor  never  accorded  to  an  inventor  before. 
The  ten  leading  nations  of  Europe,  at  the 
suggestion  of  the  Emporer  Napoleon,  ap- 
pointed representatives  to  an  international 
congress,  which  convened  at  Paris  for  the 
special  purpose  of  expressing  gratitude  of  the 
nations,  and  they  voted  him  a  present  of 
400,000  francs. 

Professor  Morse  was  present  at  the  unveil- 
ing of  a  bronze  statue  erected  in  his  honor  in 
Central  Park,  New  York,  in  1871.  His  last 
appearance  in  public  was  at  the  unveiling 
of  the  statue  of  Benjamin  Franklin  in  New 
York  in  1872,  when  he  made  the  dedica- 
tory speech  and  unveiled  the  statue.  He 
died  April  2,  1872,  in  the  city  of  New  York. 


MORRISON  REMICH  WAITE,  seventh 
chief  justice  of  the  United  States,  was 
born  at  Lyme,  Connecticut,  November  29, 
1 8 16.      He  was  a  graduate   from  Y'ale   Col- 


lege in  1837,  in  the  class  with  William  M. 
Evarts.  His  father  was  judge  of  the  su- 
preme court  of  errors  of  the  state  of  Con- 
necticut, and  in  his  office  young  Waite 
studied  law.  He  subsequently  removed  to 
Ohio,  and  was  elected  to  the  legislature  of 
that  state  in  1849.  He  removed  from 
Maumee  City  to  Toledo  and  became  a  prom- 
inent legal  light  in  that  state.  He  was 
nominated  as  a  candidate  for  congress  re- 
peatedly but  declined  to  run,  and  also  de- 
clined a  place  on  the  supreme  bench  of  the 
state.  He  won  great  distinction  for  his  able 
handling  of  the  Alabama  claims  at  Geneva, 
before  the  arbitration  tribunal  in  1871,  and 
was  appointed  chief  justice  of  the  supreme 
court  of  the  United  States  in  1874  on  the 
death  of  Judge  Chase.  When,  in  1876,  elec- 
toral commissioners  were  chosen  to  decide 
the  presidential  election  controversy  between 
Tilden  and  Hayes,  Judge  Waite  refused  to 
serve  on  that  commission. 

His  death  occurred  March  23,  1888. 


ELISHA  KENT  KANE  was  one  of  the 
distinguished  American  explorers  of  the 
unknown  regions  of  the  frozen  north,  and 
gave  to  the  world  a  more  accurate  knowl- 
edge of  the  Arctic  zone.  Dr.  Kane  was 
born  February  3,  1820,  at  Philadelphia, 
Pennsylvania.  He  was  a  graduate  of  the 
universities  of  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania, 
and  took  his  medical  degree  in  1843.  He 
entered  the  service  of  the  United  States 
navy,  and  was  physician  to  the  Chinese 
embassy.  Dr.  Kane  traveled  extensively 
in  the  Levant,  Asia  and  Western  Africa, 
and  also  served  in  the  Mexican  war,  in 
which  he  was  severely  wounded.  His 
first  Arctic  expedition  was  under  De  Haven 
in  the  first  Grinnell  expedition  in  search 
of  Sir  John  Franklin  in  1850.  He  com- 
manded   the    second    Grinnell    expedition 


126 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BlOGRAriir 


in  1853-55,  and  discovered  an  open  polar 
sea.  For  this  expedition  he  received  a  gold 
medal  and  other  distinctions.  He  published 
a  narrative  of  his  first  polar  expedition  in 
1S53,  and  in  1856  published  two  volumes 
relating  to  his  second  polar  expedition.  He 
was  a  man  of  active,  enterprising  and  cour- 
ageous spirit.  His  health,  which  was  al- 
ways delicate,  was  impaired  by  the  hard- 
ships of  his  Arctic  expeditions,  from  which 
he  never  fully  recovered  and  from  which  he 
died  February  16,  1857,  at  Havana. 


ELIZABETH  CADY  STANTON  was  a 
daughter  of  Judge  Daniel  Cady  and 
Margaret  Livingston,  and  was  born  Novem- 
ber 12,  181 5,  at  Johnstown,  New  York.  She 
was  educated  at  the  Johnstown  Academy, 
vhere  she  studied  with  a  class  of  boys,  and 
•.vas  fitted  for  college  at  the  age  of  fifteen, 
after  which  she  pursued  her  studies  at  Mrs. 
Willard's  Seminary,  at  Troy.  Her  atten- 
tion was  called  to  the  disabilities  of  her  sex 
by  her  own  educational  experiences,  and 
through  a  study  of  Blackstone,  Story,  and 
Kent.  Miss  Cady  was  married  to  Henry  B. 
Stanton  in  1840,  and  accompanied  him  to 
the  world's  anti-slavery  convention  in  Lon- 
don. While  there  she  made  the  acquain- 
tance of  Lucretia  Mott.  Mrs.  Stanton 
resided  at  Boston  until  1847,  when  the 
family  moved  to  Seneca  Falls,  New  York, 
and  she  and  Lucretia  Mott  signed  the  first 
call  for  a  woman's  rights  convention.  The 
meeting  was  held  at  her  place  of  residence 
July  19-20,  1848.  This  was  the  first  oc- 
casion of  a  formal  claim  of  suffrage  for 
women  that  was  made.  Mrs.  Stanton  ad- 
dressed the  New  York  legislature,  in  1854, 
on  the  rights  of  married  women,  and  in 
i860,  in  advocacy  of  the  granting  of  di- 
vorce for  drunkenness.  She  also  addressed 
the  legislature  and   the    constitutional  con- 


vention, and  maintained  that  during  the 
revision  of  the  constitution  the  state  was 
resolved  into  its  original  elements,  and  that 
all  citizens  had,  therefore,  a  right  to  vote 
for  the  members  of  that  convention.  After 
1869  Mrs.  Stanton  frequently  addressed 
congressional  committees  and  state  consti- 
tutional conventions,  and  she  canvassed 
Kansas,  Michigan,  and  other  states  when 
the  question  of  woman  suffrage  was  sub- 
mitted in  those  states.  Mrs.  Stanton  was 
one  of  the  editors  of  the  "  Revolution,"  and 
most  of  the  calls  and  resolutions  for  con- 
ventions have  come  from  her  pen.  She 
was  president  of  the  national  committee, 
also  of  the  Woman's  Loyal  League,  and 
of  the  National  Association,  for  many  years. 


DAVID  DUDLEY  FIELD,  a  great 
American  jurist,  was  born  in  Connecti- 
cut in  1805.  He  entered  Williams  College 
when  sixteen  years  old,  and  commenced  the 
study  of  law  in  1825.  In  1828  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar,  and  went  to  New  York, 
where  he  soon  came  into  prominence  be- 
fore the  bar  of  that  state.  He  entered  upon 
the  labor  of  reforming  the  practice  and 
procedure,  which  was  then  based  upon  the 
common  law  practice  of  England,  and  had 
become  extremely  complicated,  difficult  and 
uncertain  in  its  application.  His  first  paper 
on  this  subject  was  published  in  1839,  and 
after  eight  years  of  continuous  efforts  in  this 
direction,  he  was  appointed  one  of  a  com- 
mission by  New  York  to  reform  the  practice 
of  that  state.  The  result  was  embodied  in 
the  two  codes  of  procedure,  civil  and  crimi- 
nal, the  first  of  which  was  adopted  almost 
entire  by  the  state  of  New  York,  and  has 
since  been  adopted  by  more  than  half  the 
states  in  the  Union,  and  became  the  basis 
of  the  new  practice  and  procedure  in  Eng- 
land, contained  in  the  Judicature  act.      He 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


127 


was  later  appointed  chairman  of  a  new  com- 
mission to  codify  the  entire  body  of  laws. 
This  great  work  employed  many  years  in  its 
completion,  but  when  finished  it  embraced 
a  civil,  penal,  and  political  code,  covering 
the  entire  field  of  American  laws,  statutory 
and  common.  This  great  body  of  law  was 
adopted  by  California  and  Dakota  territory 
in  its  entirety,  and  many  other  states  have 
since  adopted  its  substance.  In  1867  the 
British  Association  for  Social  Science  heard 
a  proposition  from  Mr.  Field  to  prepare  an 
international  code.  This  led  to  the  prepara- 
tion of  his  "  Draft  Outlines  of  an  Interna- 
tional Code,"  which  was  in  fact  a  complete 
body  of  international  laws,  and  introduced 
the  principle  of  arbitration.  Other  of  his 
codes  of  the  state  of  New  York  have  since 
been  adopted  by  that  state. 

In  addition  to  his  great  works  on  law, 
Mr.  Field  indulged  his  literary  tastes  by  fre- 
quent contributions  to  general  literature, 
and  his  articles  on  travels,  literature,  and 
the  political  questions  of  the  hour  gave 
him  rank  with  the  best  writers  of  his  time. 
His  father  was  the  Rev.  David  Dudley  Field, 
and  his  brothers  were  Cyrus  W.  Field,  Rev. 
Henry  Martin  Field,  and  Justice  Stephen 
J.  Field  of  the  United  States  supreme 
court.  David  Dudley  Field  died  at  New 
York,  April  13,  1894. 


HENRY  M.  TELLER,  a  celebrated 
American  politician,  and  secretary  of 
the  interior  under  President  Arthur,  was  born 
May  23,  1830,  in  Allegany  county,  New 
York.  He  was  of  Hollandish  ancestry  and 
received  an  excellent  education,  after  which 
he  took  up  the  study  of  law  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  the  state  of  New  York. 
Mr.  Teller  removed  to  Illinois  in  January, 
1858,  and  practiced  for  three  years  in  that 
state.      From  thence  he  moved  to  Colorado 


in  1861  and  located  at  Central  City,  which 
was  then  one  of  the  principal  mining  towns 
in  the  state.  His  exceptional  abilities  as 
a  lawyer  soon  brought  him  into  prominence 
and  gained  for  him  a  numerous  and  profit- 
able clientage.  In  politics  he  affiliated  with 
the  Republican  party,  but  declined  to  become 
a  candidate  for  office  until  the  admission  of 
Colorado  into  the  Union  as  a  state,  when 
he  was  elected  to  the  United  States  senate. 
Mr.  Teller  drew  the  term  ending  March 
4,  1877,  but  was  re-elected  December  11, 
1876,  and  served  until  April  17,  1882,  when 
he  was  appointed  by  President  Arthur  as 
secretary  of  the  interior.  He  accepted  a 
cabinet  position  with  reluctance,  and  on 
March  3,  1885,  he  retired  from  the  cabinet, 
having  been  elected  to  the  senate  a  short 
time  before  to  succeed  Nathaniel  P.  Hill. 
Mr.  Teller  took  his  seat  on  March  4,  1885, 
in  the  senate,  to  which  he  was  afterward 
re-elected.  He  served  as  chairman  on  the 
committee  of  pensions,  patents,  mines  and 
mining,  and  was  also  a  member  of  commit- 
tees on  claims,  railroads,  privileges  and 
elections  and  public  lands.  Mr.  Teller  came 
to  be  recognized  as  one  of  the  ablest  advo- 
cates of  the  silver  cause.  He  was  one  of  the 
delegates  to  the  Republican  National  conven- 
tion at  St.  Louis  in  1896,  in  which  he  took 
an  active  part  and  tried  to  have  a  silver 
plank  inserted  in  the  platform  of  the  party. 
Failing  in  this  he  felt  impelled  to  bolt  the 
convention,  which  he  did  and  joined  forces 
with  the  great  silver  movement  in  the  cam- 
paign which  followed,  being  recognized  in 
that  campaign  as  one  of  the  most  able  and 
eminent  advocates  of  "silver"  in  America. 


JOHN  ERICSSON,  an  eminent  inven- 
tor and  machinist,  who  won  fame  in 
America,  was  born  in  Sweden,  July  31,1 803. 
In  early  childhood  he  evinced  a  decided  in- 


128 


COMPENDIUM   OF    h'/OGh'AJ'/Ji: 


clination  to  mechanical  pursuits,  and  at  the 
age  of  eleven  he  was  appointed  to  a  cadet- 
ship  in  the  eiixineer  corps,  and  at  the  age  of 
seventeen  was  promoteii  to  a  lieutenancy. 
In  1826  he  introduced  a  "flame  engine," 
which  he  had  invented,  and  offered  it  to 
English  capitalists,  but  it  was  found  that  it 
could  be  operated  only  by  the  use  of  wood 
for  fuel.  Shortly  after  this  he  resigned  his 
commission  in  the  army  of  Sweden,  and  de- 
voted himself  to  mechanical  pursuits.  He 
discovered  and  introduced  the  principle  of 
artificial  draughts  in  steam  boilers,  and  re- 
ceived a  prize  of  two  thousand  five  hundred 
dollars  for  his  locomotive,  the  "Novelty," 
which  attained  a  great  speed,  for  that  day. 
The  artificial  draught  effected  a  great  saving 
in  fuel  and  made  unnecessary  the  huge 
smoke-stacks  formerly  used,  and  the  princi- 
ple is  still  applied,  in  modified  form,  in  boil- 
ers. He  also  invented  a  steam  fire-engine, 
and  later  a  hot-air  engine,  which  he  at- 
tempted to  apply  in  the  operation  of  his 
ship,  "Ericsson,"  but  as  it  did  not  give  the 
speed  required,  he  abandoned  it,  but  after- 
wards applied  it  to  machinery  for  pumping, 
hoisting,  etc. 

Ericsson  was  first  to  apply  the  screw 
propeller  to  navigation.  The  English  peo- 
ple not  receiving  this  new  departure  readily, 
Ericsson  came  to  America  in  1839,  and 
built  the  United  States  steamer,  "Prince- 
ton," in  which  the  screw-propeller  was  util- 
ized, the  first  steamer  ever  built  in  which 
the  propeller  was  under  water,  out  of  range 
of  the  enemy's  shots.  The  achievement 
which  gave  him  greatest  renown,  however, 
was  the  ironclad  vessel,  the  "Monitor,"  an 
entirely  new  type  of  vessel,  which,  in  March, 
1862,  attacked  the  Confederate  monster 
ironclad  ram,  "  \^irginia, "  and  after  a  fierce 
struggle,  compelled  her  to  withdraw  from 
Hampton  Roads  for  repairs.     After  the  war 


one  of  his  most  noted  inventions  was  his 
vessel,  "  Destroyer,"  with  a  submarine  gun, 
which  carried  a  projectile  torpedo.  In  1886 
the  king  of  Spain  conferred  on  him  the 
grand  cross  of  the  Order  of  Naval  Merit. 
He  died  in  March,  1889,  and  his  body  was 
transferred,  with  naval  honors,  to  the  country 
of   his  birth. 

JAMES  BUCHANAN,  the  fifteenth  presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  was  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania,  and  was  born  in  Franklin 
county,  April  23,  1791.  He  was  of  Irish 
ancestry,  his  father  having  come  to  this 
country  in  1783,  in  quite  humble  circum- 
stances, and  settled  in  the  western  part  of 
the  Keystone  state. 

James  Buchanan  remained  in  his  se- 
cluded home  for  eight  years,  enjoying  but 
few  social  or  intellectual  advantages.  His 
parents  were  industrious  and  frugal,  and 
prospered,  and,  in  1799,  the  family  removed 
to  Mercersbur  Pennsylvania,  where  he 
was  placed  in  school.  His  progress  was 
rapid,  and  in  1801  he  entered  Dickinson 
College,  at  Carlisle,  where  he  took  his  place 
among  the  best  scholars  in  the  institution. 
In  1809  he  graduated  with  the  highest  hon- 
ors in  his  class.  He  was  then  eighteen,  tall, 
graceful  and  in  vigorous  health.  He  com- 
menced the  study  of  law  at  Lancaster,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1812.  He  rose 
very  rapidly  in  his  profession  and  took  a 
stand  with  the  ablest  of  his  fellow  lawyers. 
When  but  twenty-six  years  old  he  success- 
fully defended,  unaided  by  counsel,  one  of 
the  judges  of  the  state  who  was  before  the 
bar  of  the  state  senate  under  articles  of  im- 
peachment. 

During  the  war  of  18 12-15,  Mr.  Buch- 
anan sustained  the  government  with  all  his 
power,  eloquently  urging  the  vigorous  prose- 
cution of  the  war,  and  enlisted  as  a  private 


COMPENDIUM   OF    BIOGRAPHT. 


129 


^'olunteer  to  assist  in  repelling  the  British 
who  had  sacked  and  burned  the  public 
buildings  of  Washington  and  threatened 
Baltimore.  At  that  time  Buchanan  was 
a  Federalist,  but  the  opposition  of  that 
party  to  the  war  with  Great  Britain  and  the 
alien  and  sedition  laws  of  John  Adams, 
brought  that  party  into  disrepute,  and  drove 
many,  among  them  Buchanan,  into  the  Re- 
publican, or  anti-Federalist  ranks.  He  was 
elected  to  congress  in  1S28.  In  1831  he 
was  sent  as  minister  to  Russia,  and  upon 
his  return  to  this  country,  in  1833,  was  ele- 
vated to  the  United  States  senate,  and  re- 
mained in  that  position  for  twelve  years. 
Upon  the  accession  of  President  Polk  to 
office  he  made  Mr.  Buchanan  secretary  of 
state.  Four  years  later  he  retired  to  pri- 
vate life,  and  in  1853  he  was  honored  with 
the  mission  to  England.  In  1856  the  na- 
tional Democratic  convention  nominated 
him  for  the  presidency  and  he  was  elected. 
It  was  during  his  administration  that  the 
rising  tide  of  the  secession  movement  over- 
took the  country.  Mr.  Buchanan  declared 
that  the  national  constitution  gave  him  no 
power  to  do  anything  against  the  movement 
to  break  up  the  Union.  After  his  succession 
by  Abraham  Lincoln  in  i860,  Mr.  Buchanan 
retired  to  his  home  at  Wheatland,  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  he  died  June  i,   1868. 


JOHN  HARVARD,  the  founder  of  the 
Harvard  University,  was  born  in  Eng- 
land about  the  year  1608.  He  received  his 
education  at  Emanuel  College,  Cambridge, 
and  came  to  America  in  1637,  settling  in 
Massachusetts.  He  was  a  non-conformist 
minister,  and  a  tract  of  land  was  set  aside 
for  him  in  Charlestown,  near  Boston.  He 
was  at  once  appointed  one  of  a  committee  to 
formulate  a  body  of  laws  for  the  colony. 
One  year  before  his  arrival  in  the  colony 


the  general  court  had  voted  the  sum  of  four 
hundred  pounds  toward  the  establishment  of 
a  school  or  college,  half  of  which  was  to  be 
paid  the  next  year  In  1637  preliminary 
plans  were  made  for  starting  the  school.  In 
1638  John  Harvard,  who  had  shown  great 
interest  in  the  new  institution  of  learning 
proposed,  died,  leaving  his  entire  property, 
about  twice  the  sum  originally  voted,  to  the 
school,  together  with  three  hundred  volumes 
as  a  nucleus  for  a  library.  The  institution 
was  then  given  the  name  of  Harvard,  and 
established  at  Newton  (now  Cambridge), 
Massachusetts.  It  grew  to  be  one  of  the  two 
principal  seats  of  learning  in  the  new  world, 
and  has  maintained  its  reputation  since.  It 
now  consists  of  twenty-two  separate  build- 
ings, and  its  curriculum  embraces  over  one 
hundred  and  seventy  elective  courses,  and  it 
ranks  among  the  great  universities  of  the 
world. 

ROGER  BROOKE  TANEY,  a  noted 
jurist  and  chief  justice  of  the  United 
States  supreme  court,  was  born  in  Calvert 
county,  Maryland,  March  17,  1777.  He 
graduated  fiom  Dickinson  College  at  the 
age  of  eighteen,  took  up  the  study  of  law, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1799.  He 
was  chosen  to  the  legislature  from  his  county, 
and  in  1801  removed  to  Frederick,  Mary- 
land. He  became  United  States  senator 
from  Maryland  in  18 16,  and  took  up  his 
permanent  residence  in  Baltimore  a  few 
years  later.  In  1824  he  became  an  ardent 
admirer  and  supporter  of  Andrew  Jackson, 
and  upon  Jackson's  election  to  the  presi- 
dency, was  appointed  attorney  general  of 
the  United  States.  Two  years  later  he  was 
appointed  secretary  of  the  treasury,  and 
after  serving  in  that  capacity  for  nearly  one 
year,  the  senate  refused  to  confirm  the  ap- 
pointment.     In    1835,    upon    the    death  of 


180 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPIIT. 


Chief-justice  Marshall,  he  was  appointed  to 
that  place,  and  a  political  change  having 
occurred  in  the  make  up  of  the  senate,  he 
was  confirmed  in  1836.  He  presided  at 
his  first  session  in  January  of  the  following 
year. 

The  case  which  suggests  itself  first  to 
the  average  reader  in  connection  with  this 
jurist  is  the  celebrated  "  Dred  Scott  "  case, 
which  came  before  the  supreme  court  for 
decision  in  1856.  In  his  opinion,  delivered 
on  behalf  of  a  majority  of  the  court,  one 
remarkable  statement  occurs  as  a  result  of 
an  exhaustive  survey  of  the  historical 
grounds,  to  the  effect  that  ' '  for  more  than 
a  century  prior  to  the  adoption  of  the  con- 
stitution they  (Africans)  had  been  regarded 
so  far  inferior  that  they  had  no  rights  which 
a  white  man  was  bound  to  respect."  Judge 
Taney  retained  the  office  of  chief  justice 
until  his  death,  in  1864. 


JOHN  LOTHROP  MOTLEY.— This  gen- 
tleman had  a  world-wide  reputation  as 
an  historian,  which  placed  him  in  the  front 
rank  of  the  great  men  of  America.  He  was 
born  April  15,  18 14,  at  Dorchester,  Massa- 
chusetts, was  given  a  thorough  preparatory 
education  and  then  attended  Harvard,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  1831.  He  also 
studied  at  Gottingen  and  Berlin,  read  law 
and  in  1836  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  In 
1 84 1  he  was  appointed  secretary  of  the 
legation  at  St.  Petersburg,  and  in  1866-67 
served  as  United  States  minister  to  Austria, 
serving  in  the  same  capacity  during  1869 
and  1870  to  England.  In  1856,  after  long 
and  exhaustive  research  and  preparation, he 
published  in  London  "The  Rise  of  the 
Dutch  Republic."  It  embraced  three  vol- 
umes and  immediately  attracted  great  at- 
tention throughout  Europe  and  America  as 
a  work  of  unusual  merit.     From    1861   to 


1868  he  produced  "The  History  of  the 
United  Netherlands,"  in  four  volumes. 
Other  works  followed,  with  equal  success, 
and  his  position  as  one  of  the  foremost  his- 
torians and  writers  of  his  day  was  firmly 
established.  His  death  occured  May  29, 
1877.  

ELIAS  HOWE,  the  inventor  of  the  sew- 
ing machine,  well  deserves  to  be  classed 
among  the  great  and  noted  men  of  Amer- 
ica. He  was  the  son  of  a  miller  and  farmer 
and  was  born  at  Spencer,  Massachusetts, 
July  9,  1819.  In  1835  he  went  to  Lowell 
and  worked  there,  and  later  at  Boston,  in  the 
machine  shops.  His  first  sewing  machine 
was  completed  in  1 845 ,  and  he  patented  it  in 
1846,  laboring  with  the  greatest  persistency 
in  spite  of  poverty  and  hardships,  working 
for  a  time  as  an  engine  driver  on  a  railroad 
at  pauper  wages  and  with  broken  health. 
He  then  spent  two  years  of  unsuccessful  ex- 
ertion in  England,  striving  in  vain  to  bring 
his  invention  into  public  notice  and  use. 
He  returned  to  the  United  States  in  almost 
hopeless  poverty,  to  find  that  his  patent 
had  been  violated.  At  last,  however,  he 
found  friends  who  assisted  him  financially, 
and  after  years  of  litigation  he  made  good 
his  claims  in  the  courts  in  1S54.  His  inven- 
tion afterward  brought  him  a  large  fortune. 
During  the  Civil  war  he  volunteered  as  a 
private  in  the  Seventeenth  Connecticut  Vol- 
unteers, and  served  for  some  time.  During 
his  life  time  he  received  the  cross  of  the 
Legion  of  Honor  and  many  other  medals. 
His  death  occurred  October  3,  1867,  at 
Brooklyn,  New  York. 


PHILLIPS  BROOKS,  celebrated  as  an 
eloquent  preacher  and  able  pulpit  ora- 
tor, was  born  in  Boston  on  the  13th  day  of 
December,    1835.      He    received   excellent 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


131 


educational  advantages,  and  graduated  at 
Harvard  in  1855.  Early  in  life  he  decided 
upon  the  ministry  as  his  life  work  and 
studied  theology  in  the  Episcopal  Theolog- 
ical Seminary,  at  Alexandria,  Virginia.  In 
1859  he  was  ordained  and  the  same  year 
became  pastor  of  the  Church  of  the  Advent, 
in  Philadelphia.  Three  years  later  he  as- 
sumed the  pastorate  of  the  Church  of  the 
Holy  Trinity,  where  he  remained  until  1870. 
At  the  e.xpiration  of  that  time  he  accepted 
the  pastoral  charge  of  Trinity  Church  in 
Boston,  where  his  eloquence  and  ability  at- 
tracted much  attention  and  built  up  a  pow- 
erful church  organization.  Dr.  Brooks  also 
devoted  considerable  time  to  lecturing  and 
literary  work  and  attained  prominence  in 
these  lines. 

WILLIAM  B.  ALLISON,  a  statesman 
of  national  reputation  and  one  of  the 
leaders  of  the  Republican  party,  was  born 
March  2,  1829,  at  Perry,  Ohio.  He  grew 
up  on  his  father's  farm,  which  he  assisted 
in  cultivating,  and  attended  the  district 
school.  When  sixteen  years  old  he  went 
to  the  academy  at  Wooster,  and  subse- 
quently spent  a  year  at  the  Allegheny  Col- 
lege, at  Meadville,  Pennsylvania.  He  next 
taught  school  and  spent  another  year  at  the 
Western  Reserve  College,  at  Hudson,  Ohio. 
Mr.  Allison  then  took  up  the  study  of  law 
at  Wooster,  where  he  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  185 1,  and  soon  obtained  a  position 
as  deputy  county  clerk.  His  political  lean- 
ings were  toward  the  old  line  Whigs,  who 
afterward  laid  the  foundation  of  the  Repub- 
lican party.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the  state 
convention  in  1856,  in  the  campaign  of 
which  he  supported  Fremont  for  president. 
Mr.  Allison  removed  to  Dubuque,  Iowa, 
in  the  following  year.  He  rapidly  rose  to 
prominence  at  the  bar  and   in  politics.      In 


i860  he  was  chosen  as  a  delegate  to  the 
Republican  convention  held  in  Chicago,  of 
which  he  was  elected  one  of  the  secretaries. 
At  the  outbreak  of  the  civil  war  he  was  ap- 
pointed on  the  staff  of  the  governor.  His 
congressional  career  opened  in  1862,  when 
he  was  elected  to  the  thirty-eighth  congress; 
he  was  re-elected  three  times,  serving  from 
March  4,  1863,  to  March  3,  1871.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  ways  and  means  committee 
a  good  part  of  his  term.  His  career  in  the 
United  States  senate  began  in  1873,  and  he 
rapidly  rose  to  eminence  in  national  affairs, 
his  service  of  a  quarter  of  a  century  in  that 
body  being  marked  by  close  fealty  to  the 
Republican  party.  He  twice  declined  the 
portfolio  of  the  treasury  tendered  him  by 
Garfield  and  Harrison,  and  his  name  was 
prominently  mentioned  for  the  presidency 
at  several  national  Republican  conventions. 


Wl 


ARY  ASHTON  LIVERMORE,  lec- 
rer  and  writer,  was  born  in  Boston, 
December  19,  1821.  She  was  the  daughter 
of  Timothy  Rice,  and  married  D.  P.  Liver- 
more,  a  preacher  of  the  Universalist  church. 
She  contributed  able  articles  to  many  of  the 
most  noted  periodicals  of  this  country  and 
England.  During  the  Civil  war  she  labored 
zealously  and  with  success  on  behalf  of  the 
sanitary  commission  which  played  so  impor- 
tant a  part  during  that  great  struggle.  She 
became  editor  of  the  "  Woman's  Journal," 
published  at  Boston  in  1870. 

She  held  a  prominent  place  as  a  public 
speaker  and  writer  on  woman's  suffrage, 
temperance,  social  and  religious  questions, 
and  her  influence  was  great  in  every  cause 
she  advocated. 


JOHN  B.    GOUGH.  a  noted  temperance 
lecturer,  who  won  his  fame  in  America, 
was  born  in  the  village  of  Sandgate,  Kent, 


i:!2 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


England,  August  22,  1817.  He  came  to 
the  United  States  at  the  age  of  twelve. 
He  followed  the  trade  of  bookbinder,  and 
lived  in  great  poverty  on  account  of  the 
liquor  habit.  In  1843,  however,  he  re- 
formed, and  began  his  career  as  a  temper- 
ance lecturer.  He  worked  zealously  in  the 
cause  of  temperance,  and  his  lectures  and 
published  articles  revealed  great  earnestness. 
He  formed  temperance  societies  throughout 
the  entire  country,  and  labored  with  great 
success.  He  visited  England  in  the  same 
cause  about  the  year  1853  and  again  in 
1878.  He  also  lectured  upon  many  other 
topics,  in  which  he  attained  a  wide  reputa- 
tion. His  death  occurred  February  18, 
1886.  

THOM.^S  BUCHANAN  READ,  author, 
sculptor  and  painter,  was  born  in  Ches- 
ter county,  Pennsylvania,  March  12,  1822. 
He  early  evinced  a  taste  for  art,  and  began 
the  study  of  sculpture  in  Cincinnati.  Later 
he  found  painting  more  to  his  liking.  He 
went  to  New  York,  where  he  followed  this 
profession,  and  later  to  Boston.  In  1846 
he  located  in  Philadelphia.  He  visited 
Italy  in  1850,  and  studied  at  Florence, 
where  he  resided  almost  continuously  for 
twenty-two  years.  He  returned  to  America 
in  1872,  and  died  in  New  York  May  11  of 
the  same  year. 

He  was  the  author  of  many  heroic 
poems,  but  the  one  giving  him  the  most  re- 
nown is  his  famous  "Sheridan's  Ride,"  of 
which  he  has  also  left  a  representation  in 
painting. 

EUGENE  V.  DEBS,  the  former  famous 
president  of  the  American  Railway 
Union,  and  great  labor  leader,  was  born  in 
the  city  of  Terre  Haute,  Indiana,  in  1855. 
He  received    his    education    in   the    public 


schools  of  that  place  and  at  the  age  of 
sixteen  years  began  work  as  a  painter  in 
the  Vandalia  shops.  After  this,  for  some 
three  years,  he  was  employed  as  a  loco- 
motive fireman  on  the  same  road.  His 
first  appearance  in  public  life  was  in  his 
canvass  for  the  election  to  the  office  of  city 
clerk  of  Terre  Haute.  In  this  capacity  he 
served  two  terms,  and  when  twenty  six 
years  of  age  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
legislature  of  the  state  of  Indiana.  While 
a  member  of  that  body  he  secured  the 
passage  of  several  bills  in  the  interest  of 
organized  labor,  of  which  he  was  always 
a  faithful  champion.  Mr.  Debs'  speech 
nominating  Daniel  Voorhees  for  the  United 
States  senate  gave  him  a  wide  reputation  for 
oratory.  On  the  expiration  of  his  term  in 
the  legislature,  he  was  elected  grand  secre- 
tary and  treasurer  of  the  Brotherhood  of 
Locomotive  Fireman  and  filled  that  office 
for  fourteen  successive  years.  He  was 
always  an  earnest  advocate  of  confederation 
of  railroad  men  and  it  was  mainly  through 
his  efforts  that  the  United  Order  of  Railway 
Employes,  composed  of  the  Brotherhood 
of  Railway  Trainmen  and  Conductors, 
Brotherhood  of  Locomotive  Firemen  and 
the  Switchmen's  Mutual  Aid  Association  was 
formed,  and  he  became  a  member  of  its 
supreme  council.  The  order  was  dissolved 
by  disagreement  between  two  of  its  leading 
orders,  and  then  Mr.  Debs  conceived  the 
idea  of  the  American  Railway  Union.  He 
worked  on  the  details  and  the  union  came 
into  existence  in  Chicago,  June  20, 1 893.  For 
a  time  it  prospered  and  became  one  of  the 
largest  bodies  of  railway  men  in  the  world. 
It  won  in  a  contest  with  the  Great  Northern 
Railway.  In  the  strike  made  by  the  union 
in  sympathy  with  the  Pullman  employes 
inaugurated  in  Chicago  June  25,  1894,  and 
the  consequent  rioting,   the   Railway  Union 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


i;-i8 


lost  much  prestige  and  Mr.  Debs,  in  company 
with  others  of  the  officers,  being  held  as  in  con- 
tempt of  the  United  States  courts,  he  suffered 
a  sentence  of  six  months  in  jail  at  Wood- 
stock, McHenry  county,  Illinois.  In  1897 
Mr.  Debs,  on  the  demise  of  the  American 
Railway  Union,  organized  the  Social 
Democracy,  an  institution  founded  on  the 
best  lines  of  the  communistic  idea,  which 
was  to  provide  homes  and  employment  for 
its  members. 


JOHN  G.  CARLISLE,  famous  as  a  law- 
yer, congressman,  senator  and  cabinet 
officer,  was  born  in  Campbell  (now  Kenton) 
county,  Kentucky,  September  5,  1835,  on  a 
farm.  He  received  the  usual  education  oi 
the  time  and  began  at  an  early  age  to  teach 
school  and,  at  the  same  time,  the  study  of 
law.  Soon  opportunity  offered  and  he 
entered  an  office  in  Covington,  Kentucky, 
and  was  admitted  to  practice  at  the  bar  in 
1858.  Politics  attracted  his  attention  and 
in  1859  he  was  elected  to  the  house  of  rep- 
resentatives in  the  legislature  of  his  native 
state.  On  the  outbreak  of  the  war  in  1861, 
he  embraced  the  cause  of  the  Union  and  was 
largely  instrumental  in  preserving  Kentucky 
to  the  federal  cause.  He  resumed  his  legal 
practice  for  a  time  and  declined  a  nomina- 
tion as  presidential  elector  in  1864.  In 
1866  and  again  in  1869  Mr.  Carlisle  was 
elected  to  the  senate  of  Kentucky.  He  re- 
signed this  position  in  1871  and  was  chosen 
lieutenant  governor  of  the  state,  which  office 
he  held  until  1875.  He  was  one  of  the 
presidential  electors-at-large  for  Ken- 
tucky in  1876.  He  first  entered  congress  in 
1877,  and  soon  became  a  prominent  leader 
on  the  Democratic  side  of  the  house  of  rep- 
resentatives, and  continued  a  member  of 
that  body  through  the  forty-sixth,  forty- 
seventh,   forty-eighth    and   forty-ninth   con- 


gresses, and  was  speaker  of  the  house  during 
the  two  latter.  He  was  elected  to  the 
United  States  senate  to  succeed  Senator 
Blackburn,  and  remained  a  member  of  that 
branch  of  congress  until  March,  1893,  when 
he  was  appointed  secretary  of  the  treasury. 
He  performed  the  duties  of  that  high  office 
until  March  4,  1897,  throughout  the  en- 
tire second  administration  of  President 
Cleveland.  His  ability  and  many  years  of 
public  service  gave  him  a  national  reputa- 
tion. 


FRANCES  E.  WILLARD,  for  many  years 
president  of  the  -Woman's  Christian 
Temperance  Union,  and  a  noted  American 
lecturer  and  writer,  was  born  in  Rochester, 
New  York,  September  28,  1839.  Graduating 
from  the  Northwestern  Female  College  at  the 
age  of  nineteen  she  began  teaching  and  met 
with  great  success  in  many  cities  of  the  west. 
She  was  made  directress  of  Genesee  Wes- 
leyan  Seminary  at  Lima,  Ohio,  in  1867,  and 
four  years  later  was  elected  president  of  the 
Evanston  College  for  young  ladies,  a  branch 
of  the  Northwestern  University. 

During  the  two  years  succeeding  1869 
she  traveled  extensively  in  Europe  and  the 
east,  visiting  Egypt  and  Palestine,  and 
gathering  materials  for  a  valuable  course  of 
lectures,  which  she  delivered  at  Chicago  on 
her  return.  She  became  very  popular,  and 
won  great  influence  in  the  temperance 
cause.  Her  work  as  president  of  the  Wo- 
man's Christian  Temperance  Union  greatly 
strengthened  that  society,  and  she  made 
frequent  trips  to  Europe  in  the  interest  of 
that  cause. 

RICHARD  OLNEY.— Among  the  promi- 
nent men  who  were  members  of  the 
cabinet  of  President  Cleveland  in  his  second 
administration,  the  gentleman  whose  name 


134 


COMPENDIUM   OJ-    /UDGAWJ'/ir. 


heads  this  sketch  held  a  leading  place,  oc- 
cupying the  positions  of  attorney  general 
and  secretary  of  state. 

Mr.  Olney  came  from  one  of  the  oldest 
and  most  honored  New  England  families; 
the  first  of  his  ancestors  to  come  from  Eng- 
land settled  in  Massachusetts  in  1635.  This 
was  Thomas  Olney.  He  was  a  friend  and 
co-religionist  of  Roger  Williams,  and  when 
the  latter  moved  to  what  is  now  Rhode 
feland,  went  with  him  and  became  one  of 
the  founders  of  Providence  Plantations. 

Richard  Olney  was  born  in  Oxford, 
Massachusetts,  in  1835,  snd  received  the 
elements  of  his  earlier  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools  which  New  England  is  so  proud 
of.  He  entered  Brown  University,  from 
which  he  graduated  in  1856,  and  passed  the 
Harvard  law  school  two  years  later.  He 
began  the  practice  of  his  profession  with 
Judge  B.  F.  Thomas,  a  prominent  man  of 
that  locality.  For  years  Richard  Olney  was 
regarded  as  one  of  the  ablest  and  most 
learned  lawyers  in  Massachusetts.  Twice 
he  was  offered  a  place  on  the  bench  of  the 
supreme  court  of  the  state,  but  both  times 
he  declined.  He  was  always  a  Democrat 
in  his  political  tenets,  and  for  many  years 
was  a  trusted  counsellor  of  members  of  that 
party.  In  1874  Mr.  Olney  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  legislature.  In  1876,  during 
the  heated  presidential  campaign,  to 
strengthen  the  cause  of  Mr.  Tilden  in  the 
New  England  states,  it  was  intimated  that 
in  the  event  of  that  gentleman's  election  to 
the  presidency,  Mr.  Olney  would  be  attor- 
Dey  general. 

When  Grover  Cleveland  was  elected  presi- 
'^'^nt  of  the  United  States,  on  his  inaugura- 
tion in  March,  1893,  he  tendered  the  posi- 
tion of  attorney  general  to  Richard  Olney. 
This  was  accepted,  and  that  gentleman  ful- 
filled the  duties  of  the  office  until  the  death 


of  Walter  Q.  Gresham,  in  May,  1895,  made 
vacant  the  position  of  secretary  of  state. 
This  post  was  filled  by  the  appointment  of 
Mr.  Olney.  While  occupying  the  later 
office,  Mr.  Olney  brought  himself  into  inter- 
national prominence  by  some  very  able  state 
papers. 

JOHN  JAY  KNOX,  for  many  years  comp- 
troller of  the  currency,  and  an  eminent 
financier,  was  born  in  Knoxboro,  Oneida 
county,  New  York,  May  19,  1828.  He  re- 
ceived a  good  education  and  graduated  at 
Hamilton  College  in  1849.  For  about 
thirteen  years  he  was  engaged  as  a  private 
banker,  or  in  a  position  in  a  bank,  where 
he  laid  the  foundation  of  his  knowledge  of 
the  laws  of  finance.  In  1862,  Salmon  P. 
Chase,  then  secretary  of  the  treasury,  ap- 
pointed him  to  an  office  in  that  department 
of  the  government,  and  later  he  had  charge 
of  the  mint  coinage  correspondence.  In  1S67 
Mr.  Knox  was  made  deputy  comptroller 
of  the  currency,  and  in  that  capacity,  in 
1870,  he  made  two  reports  on  the  mint 
service,  with  a  codification  of  the  mint  and 
coinage  laws  of  the  United  States,  and 
suggesting  many  important  amendments 
These  reports  were  ordered  printed  by  reso- 
lution of  congress.  The  bill  which  he  pre- 
pared, with  some  slight  changes,  was  sub- 
sequently passed,  and  has  been  known  in 
history  as  the  "  Coinage  Act  of  1873." 

In  1872  Mr.  Knox  was  appointed  comp- 
troller of  the  currency,  and  held  that  re- 
sponsible position  until  1884,  when  he  re- 
signed. He  then  accepted  the  position  of 
president  of  the  National  Bank  of  the  Re- 
public, of  New  York  City,  which  institution 
he  served  for  many  years.  He  was  the 
author  of  "  United  States  Notes,"  published 
in  1884.  In  the  reports  spoken  of  above,  a 
history  of  the  two  United   States    banks  i? 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


135 


given,  together  with  that  of  the  state  and 
national  banking  system,  and  much  valuable 
statistical  matter  relating  to  kindred  sub- 
jects. 

NATHANIEL  HAWTHORNE.— In  the 
opinion  of  many  critics  Hawthorne  is 
pronounced  the  foremost  American  novelist, 
and  in  his  peculiar  vein  of  romance  is  said 
to  be  without  a  peer.  His  reputation  is 
world-wide,  and  his  ability  as  a  writer  is 
recognized  abroad  as  well  as  at  home. 
He  was  born  July  4,  1804,  at  Salem,  Massa- 
chusetts. On  account  of  feeble  health  he 
spent  some  years  of  his  boyhood  on  a  farm 
near  Raymond,  Maine.  He  laid  the  foun- 
dation of  a  liberal  education  in  his  youth, 
and  entered  Bowdoin  College,  from  which 
he  graduated  in  1825  in  the  same  class  with 
H  W  Longfellow  and  John  S.  C.  Abbott. 
He  then  returned  to  Salem,  where  he  gave 
his  attention  to  literature,  publishing  several 
tales  and  other  articles  in  various  periodi- 
cals. His  first  venture  in  the  field  of  ro- 
mance, "  Fanshaw,''  proved  a  failure.  In 
1836  he  removed  to  Boston,  and  became 
editor  of  the  "American  Magazine,"  which 
soon  passed  out  of  existence.  In  1837  he 
published  "Twice  Told  Tales,"  which  were 
chiefly  made  up  of  his  former  contributions 
to  magazines.  In  1838-41  he  held  a  posi- 
tion in  the  Boston  custom  house,  but  later 
took  part  in  the  "Brook  farm  experiment," 
a  socialistic  idea  after  the  plan  of  Fourier. 
In  1843  he  was  married  and  took  up  his 
residence  at  the  old  parsonage  at  Concord, 
Massachusetts,  which  he  immortalized  in 
his  next  work,  "Mosses  From  an  Old 
Manse,"  published  in  1846.  From  the  lat- 
ter date  until  1850  he  was  surveyor  of  the 
port  of  Salem,  and  while  thus  employed 
wrote  one  of  his  strongest  works,  "The 
Scarlet   Letter."     For  the  succeeding  two 

8 


years  Lenox,  Massachusetts,  was  his  home, 
and  the  "  House  of  the  Seven  Gables"  was 
produced  there,  as  well  as  the  "  Blithedale 
Romance."  In  1852  he  published  a  "Life 
of  Franklin  Pierce, "  a  college  friend  whom 
he  warmly  regarded.  In  1853  he  was  ap- 
pointed United  States  consul  to  Liverpool, 
England,  where  he  remained  some  years, 
after  which  he  spent  some  time  in  Italy. 
On  returning  to  his  native  land  he  took  up 
his  residence  at  Concord,  Massachusetts. 
While  taking  a  trip  for  his  health  with  ex- 
President  Pierce,  he  died  at  Plymouth,  New 
Hampshire,  May  19,  1864.  In  addition  to 
the  works  mentioned  above  Mr.  Hawthorne 
gave  to  the  world  the  following  books: 
"  True  Stories  from  History,"  "The  Won- 
der Book,"  "  The  Snow  Image,"  ''Tangle- 
wood  Tales,"  "The  Marble  Faun,"  and 
' '  Our  Old  Home. "  After  his  death  appeared 
a  series  of  "Notebooks,"  edited  by  his  wife, 
Sophia  P.  Hawthorne;  "  Septimius  Felton," 
edited  by  his  daughter,  Una,  and  "Dr. 
Grimshaw's  Secret,"  put  into  shape  by  his 
talented  son,  Julian.  He  left  an  unfinished 
work  called  "  Dolliver  Romance,"  which  has 
been  published  just  as  he  left  it. 


ABRAHAM  LINCOLN,  sixteenth  pre-si- 
dent  of  the  United  States,  was  born 
February  12,  1809,  in  Larue  county  (Har- 
din county),  Kentucky,  in  a  log-cabin  near 
Hudgensville.  When  he  was  eight  years 
old  he  removed  with  his  parents  to  Indiana, 
near  the  Ohio  river,  and  a  year  later  his 
mother  died.  His  father  then  married  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  (Bush)  Johnston,  of  Elizabeth- 
town,  Kentucky,  who  proved  a  kind  of  fos- 
ter-mother to  Abraham,  and  encouraged 
him  to  study.  He  worked  as  a  farm  hand 
and  as  a  clerk  in  a  store  at  Gentryville,  and 
was  noted  for  his  athletic  feats  and  strength, 
fondness    for  debate,   a  fund  of   humorous 


186 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAl'IlT 


anecdote,  as  well  as  the  composition  of  rude 
verses.  He  made  a  trip  at  the  age  of  nine- 
teen to  New  Orleans  on  a  flat-boat,  and  set- 
tled in  Illinois  in  1830.  He  assisted  his 
father  to  build  a  log  house  and  clear  a  farm 
on  the  Sangamon  river  near  Decatur,  Illinois, 
and  split  the  rails  with  which  to  fence  it.  In 
1851  he  was  employed  in  the  building  of  a 
flat-boat  on  the  Sangamon,  and  to  run  it  to 
New  Orleans.  The  voyage  gave  him  a  new 
insight  into  the  horrors  of  slavery  in  the 
south.  On  his  return  he  settled  at  New 
Salem  and  engaged,  first  as  a  clerk  in  a  store, 
then  as  grocer,  surveyor  and  postmaster,  and 
he  piloted  the  first  steamboat  that  as- 
cended the  Sangamon.  He  participated  in 
the  Black  Hawk  war  as  captain  of  volun- 
teers, and  after  his  return  he  studied  law, 
interested  himself  in  politics,  and  became 
prominent  locally  as  a  public  speaker.  He 
was  elected  to  the  legislature  in  1834  as  a 
' '  Clay  Whig, "  and  began  at  once  to  dis- 
play a  command  of  language  and  forcible 
rhetoric  that  made  him  a  match  for  his 
more  cultured  opponents.  He  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  1837,  and  began  prac- 
tice at  Springfield.  He  married  a  lady  o(  a 
prominent  Kentucky  family  in  1842.  He 
was  active  in  the  presidential  campaigns  of 
1840  and  1844  and  was  an  elector  on  the 
Harrison  and  Clay  tickets,  and  was  elected 
to  congress  in  1846,  over  Peter  Cartwright. 
He  voted  for  the  Wilmot  proviso  and  the 
abolition  of  slavery  in  the  District  of  Colum- 
bia, and  opposed  the  war  with  Mexico,  but 
gained  little  prominence  during  his  two 
years'  service.  He  then  returned  to  Spring- 
field and  devoted  his  attention  to  law,  tak- 
ing little  interest  in  politics,  until  the  repeal 
of  the  Missouri  compromise  and  the  passage 
of  the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill  in  1854.  This 
a%vakened  his  interest  in  politics  again  and 
he  attacked  the  champion  of  that  measure, 


Stephen  A.  Douglas,  in  a  speech  at  Spring- 
field that  made  him  famous,  and  is  said 
by  those  who  heard  it  to  be  the  greatest 
speech  of  his  life.  Lincoln  was  selected  as 
candidate  for  the  United  States  senate,  but 
was  defeated  by  Trumbull.  Upon  the  pas- 
sage of  the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill  the  Whig 
party  suddenly  went  to  pieces,  and  the  Re- 
publican party  gathered  head.  At  the 
Bloomington  Republican  convention  in  1856 
Lincoln  made  an  effective  address  in  which 
he  first  took  a  position  antagonistic  to  the  ex- 
istence of  slavery.  He  was  a  Fremont  elector 
and  received  a  strong  support  for  nomina- 
tion as  vice-president  in  the  Philadelphia 
convention.  In  1858  he  was  the  unanimous 
choice  of  the  Republicans  for  the  United 
States  senate,  and  the  great  campaign  of  de- 
bate which  followed  resulted  in  the  election 
of  Douglas,  but  established  Lincoln's  repu- 
tation as  the  leading  exponent  of  Republican 
doctrines.  He  began  to  be  mentioned  in 
Illinois  as  candidate  for  the  presidency,  and 
a  course  of  addresses  in  the  eastern  states 
attracted  favorable  attention.  When  the 
national  convention  met  at  Chicago,  his 
rivals.  Chase,  Seward,  Bates  and  others, 
were  compelled  to  retire  before  the  western 
giant,  and  he  was  nominated,  with  Hannibal 
Hamlin  as  his  running  mate.  The  Demo- 
cratic party  had  now  been  disrupted,  and 
Lincoln's  election  assured.  He  carried 
practically  every  northern  state,  and  the 
secession  of  South  Carolina,  followed  by  a 
number  of  the  gulf  states,  took  place  before 
his  inauguration.  Lincoln  is  the  only  presi- 
dent who  was  ever  compelled  to  reach 
Washington  in  a  secret  manner.  He  es- 
caped assassination  by  avoiding  Baltimore, 
and  was  quieth'  inaugurated  March  4,  1861. 
His  inaugural  address  was  firm  but  con- 
ciliatory, and  he  said  to  the  secessionists: 
"You  have    no  oath  registered  in  heaven 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


187 


to  destroy  the  government,  while  I  have  the 
most  solemn  one  to  preserve,  protect  and 
defend  it.'  He  made  up  his  cabinet  chiefly 
of  those  political  rivals  in  his  own  party — 
Seward,  Chase,  Cameron,  Bates — and  se- 
cured the  co-operation  of  the  Douglas  Dem- 
ocrats. His  great  deeds,  amidst  the  heat 
and  turmoil  of  war,  were:  His  call  for 
seventy-five  thousand  volunteers,  and  the 
blockading  of  southern  ports;  calling  of  con- 
gress in  extra  session,  July  14,  1861,  and 
obtaining  four  hundred  thousand  men  and 
four  hundred  million  dollars  for  the  prosecu- 
tion of  the  war;  appointing  Stanton  secre- 
tary of  war;  issuing  the  emancipation  proc- 
lamation; calling  three  hundred  thou- 
sand volunteers;  address  at  Gettysburg 
cemetery;  commissioned  Grant  as  lieuten- 
ant-general and  commander-in-chief  of  the 
armies  of  the  United  States;  his  second 
inaugural  address;  his  visit  to  the  army  be- 
fore Richmond,  and  his  entry  into  Rich- 
mond the  day  after  its  surrender. 

Abraham  Lincoln  was  shot  by  John 
Wilkes  Booth  in  a  box  in  Ford's  theater 
at  Washington  the  night  of  April  14,  1865, 
and  expired  the  following  morning.  His 
body  was  buried  at  Oak  Ridge  cemetery, 
Springfield,  Illinois,  and  a  monument  com- 
memorating his  great  work  marks  his  resting 
place. 

STEPHEN  GIRARD,  the  celebrated 
philanthropist,  was  born  in  Bordeaux, 
France,  May  24,  1750.  He  became  a  sailor 
engaged  in  the  American  coast  trade,  and 
also  made  frequent  trips  to  the  West  Indies. 
During  the  Revolutionary  war  he  was  a 
grocer  and  liquor  seller  in  Philadelphia. 
He  married  in  that  city,  and  afterward 
separated  from  his  wife.  After  the  war  he 
again  engaged  in  the  coast  and  West  India 
trade,  and  his  fortune  besran  to  accumulate 


from  receiving  goods  from  West  Indian 
planters  during  the  insurrection  in  Hayti, 
little  of  which  was  ever  called  for  again. 
He  became  a  private  banker  in  Philadelphia 
in  1812,  and  afterward  was  a  director  in  the 
United  States  Bank.  He  made  much  money 
by  leasing  property  in  the  city  in  times  of 
depression,  and  upon  the  revival  of  industry 
sub-leasing  at  enormous  profit.  He  became 
the  wealthiest  citizen  of  the  United  States 
of  his  time. 

He  was  eccentric,  ungracious,  and  a 
freethinker.  He  had  few,  if  any,  friends  in 
his  lifetime.  However,  he  was  most  chari- 
tably disposed,  and  gave  to  charitable  in- 
stitutions and  schools  with  a  liberal  hand. 
He  did  more  than  any  one  else  to  relieve 
the  suffering  and  deprivations  during  the 
great  yellow  fever  scourge  in  Philadelphia, 
devoting  his  personal  attention  to  the  sick. 
He  endowed  and  made  a  free  institution, 
the  famous  Will's  Eye  and  Ear  Infirmary 
of  Philadelphia — one  of  the  largest  institu- 
tions of  its  kind  in  the  world.  At  his  death 
practically  all  his  immense  wealth  was  be- 
queathed to  charitable  institutions,  more 
than  two  millions  of  dollars  going  to  the 
founding  of  Girard  College,  which  was  to 
be  devoted  to  the  education  and  training  of 
boys  between  the  ages  of  six  and  ten  years. 
Large  donations  were  also  made  to  institu- 
tions in  Philadelphia  and  New  Orleans. 
The  principal  building  of  Girard  College  is 
the  most  magnificent  example  of  Greek 
architecture  in  America.  Girard  died  De- 
cember 26,  I  S3 1. 


LOUIS  J.  R.  AGASSIZ,  the  eminent  nat- 
uralist and  geologist,  was  born  in  the 
parish  of  Motier,  near  Lake  Neuchatel,  Swit- 
zerland, May  28,  1807,  but  attained  his 
greatest  fame  after  becoming  an  American 
citizen.     He  studied  the  medical  sciences  at 


1S8 


COM/'EXJJILM   OF    BIOGRAPHY. 


Zurich.  Heidelberg  and  Munich.  His  first 
work  was  a  Latin  description  of  the  fishes 
which  Martius  and  Spix  brought  from  Brazil. 
This  was  published  in  1 829-3 1 .  He  devoted 
much  time  to  the  study  of  fossil  fishes,  and 
in  1832  was  appointed  professor  of  natural 
history  at  Neuchatel.  He  greatly  increased 
his  reputation  by  a  great  work  in  French, 
entitled  "  Researches  on  Fossil  Fishes,"  in 
1S32-42,  in  which  he  made  many  important 
improvements  in  the  classification  of  fishes. 
Having  passed  many  summers  among  the 
Alps  in  researches  on  glaciers,  he  propounded 
some  new  and  interesting  ideas  on  geology, 
and  the  agency  of  glaciers  in  his  "Studies 
by  the  Glaciers."  This  was  published  in 
1840.  This  latter  work,  with  his  "  System 
of  the  Glaciers."  published  in  1847,  are 
among  his  principal  works. 

In  1846,  Professor  Agassiz  crossed  the 
ocean  on  a  scientific  excursion  to  the  United 
States,  and  soon  determined  to  remain  here. 
He  accepted,  about  the  beginning  of  1848, 
the  chair  of  zoology  and  geology  at  Harvard. 
He  explored  the  natural  history  of  the 
United  States  at  different  times  and  gave  an 
impulse  to  the  study  of  nature  in  this 
country.  In  1865  he  conducted  an  expedi- 
tion to  Brazil,  and  explored  the  lower  Ama- 
zon and  its  tributaries.  In  1868  he  was 
made  non-resident  professor  of  natural  his- 
tory at  Cornell  University.  In  December, 
1 87 1,  he  accompanied  the  Hassler  expedi- 
tion, under  Professor  Pierce,  to  the  South 
Atlantic  and  Pacific  oceans.  He  died  at 
Cambridge,    Massachusetts,  December  14, 

1873- 

Among  other  of  the  important  works  of 
Professor  Agassiz  may  be  mentioned  the  fol- 
lowing: "Outlines  of  Comparative  Physi- 
ology," "Journey  to  Brazil,"  and  "Contri- 
butions to  the  Natural  History  of  the  United 
States."      It  is  said  of  Professor  Agassiz, 


that,  perhaps,  with  the  exception  of  Hugh 
Miller,  no  one  had  so  popularized  science  in 
his  day,  or  trained  so  many  young  natural- 
ists. Many  of  the  theories  held  by  Agassiz 
are  not  supported  by  many  of  the  natural- 
ists of  these  later  days,  but  upon  many  of 
the  speculations  into  the  origin  of  species  and 
in  physics  he  has  left  the  marks  of  his  own 
strongly  marked  individuality. 


WILLIAM  WINDOM.— As  a  prominent 
and  leading  lawyer  of  the  great  north- 
west, as  a  member  of  both  houses  of  con- 
gress, and  as  the  secretary  of  the  treasury, 
the  gentleman  whose  name  heads  this  sketch 
won  for  himself  a  prominent  position  in  the 
history  of  our  country. 

Mr.  Windom  was  a  native  of  Ohio, 
born  in  Belmont  county.  May  ro,  1827. 
He  received  a  good  elementary  education  in 
the  schools  of  his  native  state,  and  took  up 
the  study  of  law.  He  was  admitted  to  the 
bar,  and  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his 
profession  in  Ohio,  where  he  remained  until 
1855.  In  the  latter  year  he  made  up  his 
mind  to  move  further  west,  and  accordingly 
went  to  Minnesota,  and  opening  an  office, 
became  identified  with  the  interests  of  that 
state,  and  the  northwest  generally.  In 
1858  he  took  his  place  in  the  Minnesota 
delegation  in  the  national  house  of  repre- 
sentatives, at  Washington,  and  continued 
to  represent  his  constituency  in  that  body 
for  ten  years.  In  187 1  Mr.  Windom  was 
elected  United  States  senator  from  Min- 
nesota, and  was  re-elected  to  the  same  office 
after  fulfilling  the  duties  of  the  position  for 
a  full  term,  in  1876.  On  the  inauguration 
of  President  Garfield,  in  March,  1881,  Mr. 
Windom  became  secretary  of  the  treasury 
in  his  cabinet.  He  resigned  this  office  Oc- 
tober 27,  1 88 1,  and  was  elected  senator 
from  the   North  Star  state    to  fill  the   va- 


COMPENDIUM   OF    BIOGRAPHT. 


139 


cancy  caused  by  the  resignation  of  A.  J. 
Edgerton.  Mr.  Windoni  served  in  that 
chamber  until  March,  1883. 

William    Windom    died    in     New    York 
City  January  29,   1891. 


DON  M.  DICKINSON,  an  American 
politician  and  lawyer,  was  born  in 
Port  Ontario,  New  York,  January  17,  1846. 
He  removed  with  his  parents  to  Michigan 
when  he  was  but  two  years  old.  He  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Detroit 
and  at  the  University  of  Michigan  at  Ann 
Arbor,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  the 
age  of  twenty-one.  In  1872  he  was  made 
secretary  of  the  Democratic  state  central 
committee  of  Michigan,  and  his  able  man- 
agement of  the  campaign  gave  him  a  prom- 
inent place  in  the  councils  of  his  party.  In 
1876,  during  the  Tilden  campaign,  he  acted 
as  chairman  of  the  state  central  committee. 
He  was  afterward  chosen  to  represent  his 
state  in  the  Democratic  national  committee, 
and  in  1886  he  was  appointed  postmaster- 
general  by  President  Cleveland.  After  the 
expiration  of  his  term  of  office  he  returned 
to  Detroit  and  resumed  the  practice  of  law. 
In  the  presidential  campaign  of  1896,  Mr. 
Dickinson  adhered  to  the  "gold  wing  "of 
the  Democracy,  and  his  influence  was  felt 
in  the  national  canvass,  and  especially  in 
his  own  state. 


JOHN  JACOB  ASTOR,  the  founder  of 
<J  the  Astor  family  and  fortunes,  while  not 
a  native  of  this  country,  was  one  of  the 
most  noted  men  of  his  time,  and  as  all  his 
wealth  and  fame  were  acquired  here,  he 
may  well  be  classed  among  America's  great 
men.  He  was  born  near  Heidelberg,  Ger- 
many, July  17,  1763,  and  when  twenty 
years  old  emigrated  to  the  United  States. 
Even  at  that   age   he  exhibited  remarkable 


business  ability  and  foresight,  and  soon  he 
was  investing  capital  in  furs  which  he  took 
to  London  and  sold  at  a  great  profit.  He 
next  settled  at  New  York,  and  engaged  ex- 
tensively in  the  fur  trade.  He  exported 
furs  to  Europe  in  his  own  vessels,  which  re- 
turned with  cargoes  of  foreign  commodities, 
and  thus  he  rapidly  amassed  an  immense 
fortune.  In  181 1  he  founded  Astoria  on 
the  western  coast  of  North  America,  near 
the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  river,  as  a  depot 
for  the  fur  trade,  for  the  promotion  of 
which  he  sent  a  number  of  expeditions  to 
the  Pacific  ocean.  He  also  purchased  a 
large  amount  of  real  estate  in  New  York, 
the  value  of  which  increased  enormously 
All  through  life  his  business  ventures  were 
a  series  of  marvelous  successes,  and  he 
ranked  as  one  of  the  most  sagacious  and 
successful  business  men  in  the  world.  He 
(fied  March  29,  1848,  leaving  a  fortune  es- 
timated at  over  twenty  million  dollars  to 
his  children,  who  have  since  increased  it. 
John  Jacob  Astor  left  $400,000  to  found  a 
public  library  in  New  York  City,  and  his  son, 
William  B.  Astor,  who  died  in  1875,  left 
$300,000  to  add  to  his  father's  bequest. 
This  is  known  as  the  Astor  Library,  one  of 
the  largest  in  the  United  States. 


SCHUYLER  COLFAX,  an  eminent 
American  statesman,  was  born  in  New 
York  City,  March  23,  1S23,  being  a  grand- 
son of  General  William  Colfax,  the  com- 
mander of  Washington's  life-guards.  In 
1836  he  removed  with  his  mother,  who  was 
then  a  widow,  to  Indiana,  settling  at  South 
Bend.  Young  Schuyler  studied  law,  and 
in  1845  became  editor  of  the  "St.  Joseph 
Valley  Register,"  a  Whig  paper  published 
at  South  Bend.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
convention  which  formed  a  new  constitu- 
tion   for  Indiana  in  1850,  and  he  opposed 


140 


COMPENDIUM  OF  BIOGRAPHY. 


tlio  clause  that  prohibited  colored  men 
from  settling  in  that  state.  In  185  i  he  was 
defeated  as  the  Whig  candidate  for  congress 
but  was  elected  in  1854,  and,  being  repeat- 
edly re-elected,  continued  to  represent  that 
district  in  congress  until  1869.  He  became 
one  of  the  most  prominent  and  influential 
members  of  the  house  of  representatives, 
and  served  three  terms  as  speaker.  During 
the  Civil  war  he  was  an  active  participant 
in  all  public  measures  of  importance,  and 
was  a  confidential  friend  and  adviser  of 
President  Lincoln.  In  May,  1868,  Mr. 
Colfa.x  was  nominated  for  vice-president  on 
the  ticket  with  General  Grant,  and  was 
elected.  After  the  close  of  his  term  he  re- 
tired from  ofBce,  and  for  the  remainder  of 
his  life  devoted  much  of  his  time  to  lectur- 
ing and  literary  pursuits.  His  death  oc- 
curred January  23,  1885.  He  was  one  of 
the  most  prominent  members  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  in  America, 
and  that  order  erected  a  bronze  statue  to 
his  memory  in  University  Park,  Indianapo- 
lis, Indiana,  which  was  unveiled  in  May, 
1887. 

WILLIAM  FREEMAN  VILAS,  who  at- 
tained a  national  reputation  as  an  able 
lawyer,  statesman,  and  cabinet  officer,  was 
born  at  Chelsea,  Vermont,  July  9,  1840. 
His  parents  removed  to  Wisconsin  when 
our  subject  was  but  eleven  years  of  age, 
and  there  with  the  early  settlers  endured  all 
the  hardships  and  trials  incident  to  pioneer 
life.  William  F.  Vilas  was  given  all  the 
advantages  found  in  the  common  schools, 
and  supplemented  this  by  a  course  of  stud}' 
in  the  Wisconsin  State  University,  after 
which  he  studied  law,  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  and  began  practicing  at  Madison. 
Shortly  afterward  the  Civil  war  broke  out 
and  Mr.  Vilas  enlisted  and  became  colonel 


of  the  Twenty-third  regiment  of  Wisconsin 
Volunteers,  serving  throughout  the  war  with 
distinction.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  re- 
turned to  Wisconsin,  resumed  his  law  prac- 
tice, and  rapidly  rose  to  eminence  in  this 
profession.  In  18S5  he  was  selected  by 
President  Cleveland  for  postmaster-general 
and  at  the  close  of  his  term  again  returned 
to  Madison,  Wisconsin,  to  resume  the  prac- 
tice of  law. 

THOMAS  McINTYRE  COOLEY,  an  em- 
inent American  jurist  and  law  writer, 
was  born  in  Attica,  New  York,  January  6, 
1824.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1846, 
and  four  years  later  was  appointed  reporter 
of  the  supreme  court  of  Michigan,  which 
office  he  continued  to  hold  for  seven  years. 
In  the  meantime,  in  1859,  he  became  pro- 
fessor of  the  law  department  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Michigan,  and  soon  afterward  was 
made  dean  of  the  faculty  of  that  depart- 
ment. In  1864  he  was  elected  justice  of 
the  supreme  court  of  Michigan,  in  1867  be- 
came chief  justice  of  that  court,  and  in 
1869  was  re-elected  for  a  term  of  eight 
years.  In  1881  he  again  joined  the  faculty 
of  the  University  of  Michigan,  assuming  the 
professorship  of  constitutional  and  adminis- 
trative law.  His  works  on  these  branches 
have  become  standard,  and  he  is  recog- 
nized as  authority  on  this  and  related  sub- 
jects. Upon  the  passage  of  the  inter-state 
commerce  law  in  1887  he  became  chairman 
of  the  commission  and  served  in  that  capac- 
ity four  years. 


JOHN  PETER  ALTGELD,  a  noted 
vj  American  politician  and  writer  on  social 
questions,  was  born  in  Germany,  December 
30,  1847.  He  came  to  America  with  his 
parents  and  settled  in  Ohio  when  two  years 
old.      In  1864  he  entered  the  Union  army 


COMPENDIUM   OF    BIOGRAPHT. 


141 


and  served  till  the  close  of  the  war,  after 
which  he  settled  in  Chicago,  Illinois.  He 
was  elected  judge  of  the  superior  court  of 
Cook  county,  Illinois,  in  1886,  in  which 
capacity  he  served  until  elected  governor  of 
Illinois  in  1892,  as  a  Democrat.  During 
the  first  year  of  his  term  as  governor  he  at- 
tracted" national  attention  by  his  pardon  of 
the  anarchists  convicted  of  the  Haymarktt 
murder  in  Chicago,  and  again  in  1894  by 
his  denunciation  of  President  Cleveland  for 
calling  out  federal  troops  to  suppress  the 
rioting  in  connection  with  the  great  Pull- 
man strike  in  Chicago.  At  the  national 
convention  of  the  Democratic  party  in  Chi- 
cago, in  July,  1896,  he  is  said  to  have  in- 
spired the  clause  in  the  platform  denuncia- 
tory of  interference  by  federal  authorities  in 
local  affairs,  and  "government  by  injunc- 
tion." He  was  gubernatorial  candidate  for 
re-election  on  the  Democratic  ticket  in  1896, 
but  was  defeated  by  John  R.  Tanner,  Re- 
publican. Mr.  Altgeld  published  two  vol- 
umes of  essays  on  "  Live  Questions,"  evinc- 
ing radical  views  on  social  matters. 


ADLAI  EWING  STEVENSON,  an  Amer. 
ican  statesman  and  politician,  was  born 
in  Christian  county,  Kentucky,  October  23, 
1835,  and  removed  with  the  family  to 
Bloomington,  Illinois,  in  1S52.  He  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1858,  and  set- 
tled in  the  practice  of  his  profession 
in  Metamora,  Illinois.  In  1861  he  was 
made  master  in  chancery  of  Woodford 
county,  and  in  1864  was  elected  state's  at- 
torney. In  1868  he  returned  to  Blooming- 
ton  and  formed  a  law  partnership  with 
James  S.  Ewing.  He  had  served  as  a  pres- 
idential elector  in  1864,  and  in  1S68  was 
elected  to  congress  as  a  Democrat,  receiv- 
ing a  majority  vote  from  every  county  in  his 
district.     He     became     prominent    in    his 


party,  and  was  a  delegate  to  the  national 
convention  in  1884.  On  the  election  of 
Cleveland  to  the  presidency  Mr.  Stevenson 
was  appointed  first  assistant  postmaster- 
general.  After  the  expiration  of  his  term 
he  continued  to  e.xert  a  controlling  influence 
in  the  politics  of  his  state,  and  in  1892  was 
elected  vice-president  of  the  United  States 
on  the  ticket  with  Grover  Cleveland.  At 
the  expiration  of  his  term  of  office  he  re- 
sumed the  practice  of  law  at  Bloomington, 
Illinois. 

SIMON  CAMERON,  whose  name  is 
prominently  identified  with  the  history 
of  the  United  States  as  a  political  leader 
and  statesman,  was  born  in  Lancaster  coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania,  March  8,  1799.  He  grew 
to  manhood  in  his  native  county,  receiving 
good  educational  advantages,  and  develop- 
ing a  natural  inclination  for  political  life. 
He  rapidly  rose  in  prominence  and  became 
the  most  influential  Democrat  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  in  1845  was  elected  by  that  party 
to  the  United  States  senate.  Upon  the 
organization  of  the  Republican  party  he  was 
one  of  the  first  to  declare  his  allegiance  to 
it,  and  in  1856  was  re-elected  United  States 
senator  from  Pennsylvania  as  a  Republican. 
In  March,  1861,  he  was  appointed  secretary 
of  war  by  President  Lincoln,  and  served 
until  early  in  1862,  when  he  was  sent  as 
minister  to  Russia,  returning  in  1863.  In 
1866  he  was  again  elected  United  States 
senator  and  served  until  1877,  when  he  re- 
signed and  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  James 
Donald  Cameron.  He  continued  to  exert  a 
powerful  influence  in  political  affairs  up  to 
the  time  of  his  death,  June  26,  1889. 

James  Donald  Cameron  was  the  eld- 
est son  of  Simon  Cameron,  and  also 
attained  a  high  rank  among  American 
statesmen.     He  was    born  at  Harrisburg, 


142 


COMPEyDlLM   OF    BJOGRArJIY. 


Pennsylvania,  May  14,  1833,  and  received  an 
excellent  education,  graduating  at  Princeton 
College  in  1852.  He  rapidly  developed  into 
one  of  the  most  able  and  successful  business 
men  of  the  country  and  was  largely  inter- 
ested in  and  identified  with  the  develop- 
ment of  the  coal,  iron,  lumber  and  manu- 
facturing interests  of  his  native  state.  He 
served  as  cashier  and  afterward  president  of 
the  Middletown  bank,  and  in  1S61  was  made 
vice-president,  and  in  1863  president  of 
the  Northern  Central  railroad,  holding  this 
position  until  1874,  when  he  resigned  and 
was  succeeded  by  Thomas  A.  Scott.  This 
road  was  of  great  service  to  the  government 
during  the  war  as  a  means  of  communica- 
tion between  Pennsylvania  and  the  national 
capital,  via  Baltimore.  Mr.  Cameron  also 
took  an  active  part  in  political  affairs, 
always  as  a  Republican.  In  May,  1876, 
he  was  appointed  secretary  of  war  in  Pres- 
ident Grant's  cabinet,  and  in  1877  suc- 
ceeded his  father  in  the  United  States 
senate.  He  was  re-elected  in  1885,  and 
again  in  1891,  serving  until  1896,  and  was 
recognized  as  one  of  the  most  prominent  and 
influential  members  of  that  body. 


ADOLPHUS  W.  GREELEY,  a  famous 
American  arctic  explorer,  was  born  at 
Newburyport,  Massachusetts,  March  27, 
1844.  He  graduated  from  Brown  High 
School  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  and  a  year 
later  enlisted  in  Company  B,  Nineteenth 
Massachusetts  Infantry,  and  was  made  first 
sergeant.  In  1863  he  was  promoted  to 
second  lieutenant.  After  the  war  he  was 
assigned  to  the  Fifth  United  States  Cavalry, 
and  became  first  lieutenant  in  1873.  He 
was  assigned  to  duty  in  the  United  States 
signal  service  shortly  after  the  close  of  the 
war.  An  expedition  was  fitted  out  by  the 
United    States    government     in    1881,    un- 


der auspices  of  the  weather  bureau,  and 
Lieutenant  Greeley  placed  in  command. 
They  set  sail  from  St.  Johns  the  first  week 
in  July,  and  after  nine  days  landed  in  Green- 
land, where  they  secured  the  services  of  two 
natives,  together  with  sledges,  dogs,  furs 
and  equipment.  They  encountered  an  ice 
pack  early  in  August,  and  on  the  28th  of 
that  month  freezing  weather  set  in.  Two 
of  his  party,  Lieutenant  Lockwood  and  Ser- 
geant Brainard,  added  to  the  known  maps 
about  forty  miles  of  coast  survey,  and 
reached  the  highest  point  yet  attained  by 
man,  eighty-three  degrees  and  twenty-four 
minutes  north,  longitude,  forty-four  degrees 
and  five  minutes  west.  On  their  return  to 
Fort  Conger,  Lieutenant  Greeley  set  out 
for  the  south  on  August  9,  1883.  He 
reached  Baird  Inlet  twenty  days  later  with 
his  entire  party.  Here  they  were  compelled 
to  abandon  their  boats,  and  drifted  on  an 
ice-floe  for  one  month.  They  then  went 
into  camp  at  Cape  Sabine,  where  they  suf- 
fered untold  hardships,  and  eighteen  of  the 
party  succumbed  to  cold  and  hunger,  and 
had  relief  been  delayed  two  days  longer 
none  would  have  been  found  alive.  They 
were  picked  up  by  the  relief  expedition, 
under  Captain  Schley,  June  22,  1884.  The 
dead  were  taken  to  New  York  for  burial. 
Many  sensational  stories  were  published 
concerning  the  expedition,  and  Lieutenant 
Greeley  prepared  an  exhaustive  account 
of  his  explorations  and  experiences. 


LEVI  P.  MORTON,  the  millionaire  poli- 
tician, was  born  in  Shoreham,  Ver- 
mont, May  16,  1824,  and  his  early  educa- 
tion consisted  of  the  rudiments  which  he 
obtained  in  the  common  school  up  to  the 
age  of  fourteen,  and  after  that  time  what 
knowledge  he  gained  was  wrested  from  the 
hard  school  of  experience.     He  removed  to 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


143 


Hanover,  Vermont,  then  Concord,  Vermont, 
and  afterwards  to  Boston.  He  had  worked 
in  a  store  at  Shoreham,  his  native  village, 
and  on  going  to  Hanover  he  established  a 
store  and  went  into  business  for  himself. 
In  Boston  he  clerked  in  a  dry  goods  store, 
and  then  opened  a  business  of  his  own  in 
the  same  line  in  New  York.  After  a  short 
career  he  failed,  and  was  compelled  to  set- 
tle with  his  creditors  at  only  fifty  cents  on 
the  dollar.  He  began  the  struggle  anew, 
and  when  the  war  began  he  established  a 
banking  house  in  New  York,  with  Junius 
Morgan  as  a  partner.  Through  his  firm 
and  connections  the  great  government  war 
loans  were  floated,  and  it  resulted  in  im- 
mense profits  to  his  house.  When  he  was 
again  thoroughly  established  he  invited  his 
former  creditors  to  a  banquet,  and  under 
each  guest's  plate  was  found  a  check  cover- 
ing the  amount  of  loss  sustained  respec- 
tively, with  interest  to  date. 

President  Garfield  appointed  Mr.  Mor- 
ton as  minister  to  France,  after  he  had  de- 
clined the  secretaryship  of  the  navy,  and  in 
1888  he  was  nominated  as  candidate  for 
vice-president,  with  Harrison,  and  elected. 
In  1894  he  was  elected  governor  of  New 
York  over  David  B.  Hill,  and  served  one 
term. 

CHARLES  KENDALL  ADAMS,  one 
of  the  most  talented  and  prominent 
educators  this  country  has  known,  was  born 
January  24,  1835,  at  Derby,  Vermont.  He 
received  an  elementary  education  in  the 
common  schools,  and  studied  two  terms  in 
the  Derby  Academy.  Mr.  Adams  moved 
with  his  parents  to  Iowa  in  1856.  He  was 
very  anxious  to  pursue  a  collegiate  course, 
but  this  was  impossible  until  he  had  attained 
the  age  of  twenty-one.  In  the  autumn  of 
1856  he  began  the  study  of  Latin  and  Greek 


at  Denmark  Academy,  and  in  September, 
1857,  he  was  admitted  to  the  University  of 
Michigan.  Mr.  Adams  was  wholly  depend- 
ent upon  himself  for  the  means  of  his  edu- 
cation. During  his  third  and  fourth  year 
he  became  deeply  interested  in  historical 
studies,  was  assistant  librarian  of  the  uni- 
versity, and  determined  to  pursue  a  post- 
graduate course.  In  1864  he  was  appointed 
instructor  of  history  and  Latin  and  was  ad- 
vanced to  an  assistant  professorship  in  1865, 
and  in  1867,  on  the  resignation  o^  Professoi 
White  to  accept  the  presidency  of  Cornell, 
he  was  appointed  to  till  the  chair  of  profes- 
sor of  history.  This  he  accepted  on  con- 
dition of  his  being  allowed  to  spend  a  year 
for  special  study  in  Germany,  France  and 
Italy.  Mr.  Adams  returned  in  1868,  and 
assumed  the  duties  of  his  professorship. 
He  introduced  the  German  system  for  the 
instruction  of  advanced  history  classes,  and 
his  lectures  were  largely  attended.  In  1885, 
on  the  resignation  of  President  White  at 
Cornell,  he  was  elected  his  successor  and 
held  the  office  for  seven  years,  and  on  Jan- 
uary 17,  1893,  he  was  inaugurated  presi- 
dent of  the  University  of  Wisconsin.  Pres- 
ident Adams  was  prominently  connected 
with  numerous  scientific  and  literary  organ- 
izations and  a  frequent  contributor  to  the 
historical  and  educational  data  in  the  peri- 
odicals and  journals  of  the  country.  He 
was  the  author  of  the  following:  "  Dem- 
ocracy and  Monarchy  in  France,"  "  Manual 
of  Historical  Literature,"  "  A  Plea  for  Sci- 
entific Agriculture,"  "  Higher  Education  in 
Germany." 

JOSEPH  B.  FORAKER,  a  prominent  po- 
litical leader  and  e.x-governor  of  Ohio, 
was  born  near  Rainsboro,  Highland  county, 
Ohio,  July  5,  1846.  His  parents  operated 
a  small  farm,  with  a  grist  and  sawmill,  hav- 


144 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BlOGRArilT. 


ing  emigrated  hither  from  Virginia  and 
Delaware  on  account  of  their  distaste  for 
slavery. 

Joseph  was  reared  upon  a  farm  until 
1862,  when  he  enlisted  in  the  Eighty-ninth 
Ohio  Infantry.  Later  he  was  made  ser- 
geant, and  in  1864  commissioned  first  lieu- 
tenant. The  next  year  he  was  brevetted 
captain.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  was 
mustered  out  of  the  army  after  a  brilliant 
service,  part  of  the  time  being  on  the  staff 
of  General  Slocum.  He  participated  in  the 
battles  of  Missionary  Ridge,  Lookout  Mount- 
ain and  Kenesaw  Mountain  and  in  Sher- 
man's march  to  the  sea. 

For  two  years  subsequent  to  the  war 
young  Foraker  was  studying  at  the  Ohio 
Wesleyan  University  at  Delaware,  but  later 
went  to  Cornell  University,  at  Unity,  New 
York,  from  which  he  graduated  July  i, 
1869.  He  studied  law  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar.  In  1879  Mr.  Foraker  was  elected 
judge  of  the  superior  court  of  Cincinnati 
and  held  the  office  for  three  years.  In  1883 
he  was  defeated  in  the  contest  for  the  gov- 
ernorship with  Judge  Hoadly.  In  1885, 
however,  being  again  nominated  for  the 
same  office,  he  was  elected  and  served  two 
terms.  In  1889,  in  running  for  governor 
again,  this  time  against  James  E.  Camp- 
bell, he  was  defeated.  Two  years  later  his 
career  in  the  United  States  senate  began. 
Mr.  Foraker  was  always  a  prominent  figure 
at  all  national  meetings  of  the  Republican 
party,  and  a  strong  power,  politically,  in  his 
native  state. 


LYMAN  ABBOTT,  an  eminent  American 
preacher  and  writer  on  religious  sub- 
jects, came  of  a  noted  New  England 
family.  His  father.  Rev.  Jacob  Abbott,  was 
a  prolific  and  popular  writer,  and  his  uncle. 
Rev.    John    S.    C.     Abbott,   was    a    noted 


preacher  and  author.  Lyman  Abbott  was 
born  December  18,  1835,  in  Koxbury, 
Massachusetts.  He  graduated  at  the  New 
York  University,  in  1853,  studied  law,  and 
I)racticed  for  a  time  at  the  bar,  after  which 
he  studied  theology  with  his  uncle,  Rev. 
John  S.  C.  Abbott,  and  in  i860  was  settled 
in  the  ministry  at  Terre  Haute,  Indiana,  re- 
maining there  until  after  the  close  of  the 
war.  He  then  became  connected  with  the 
Freedmen's  Commission,  continuing  this 
until  1868,  when  he  accepted  the  pastorate 
of  the  New  England  Congregational  church, 
in  New  York  City.  A  few  years  later  he  re- 
signed, to  devote  his  time  principally  to  lit- 
erary pursuits.  For  a  number  of  years  he 
edited  for  the  American  Tract  Society,  its 
"Illustrated  Christian  Weekly,"  also  the 
New  York  "Christian  Union."  He  pro- 
duced many  works,  which  had  a  wide  circu- 
lation, among  which  may  be  mentioned  the 
following:  "Jesus  of  Nazareth,  His  Life  and 
Teachings,"  "Old  Testament  Shadows  of 
New  Testament  Truths,"  "Morning  and 
Evening  Exercises,  Selected  from  Writings 
of  Henry  Ward  Beecher,"  "  Laicus,  or  the 
Experiences  of  a  Layman  in  a  Country 
Parish,"  "Popular  Religious  Dictionary," 
and  "Commentaries  on  Matthew,  Mark, 
Luke,  John  and  Acts." 


GEORGE  WILLIAM  CURTIS.— The 
well-known  author,  orator  and  journal- 
ist whose  name  heads  this  sketch,  was  born 
at  Providence,  Rhode  Island,  February  24, 
1824.  Having  laid  the  foundation  of  a 
most  excellent  education  in  his  native  land, 
he  went  to  Europe  and  studied  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Berlin.  He  made  an  extensive 
tour  throughout  the  Levant,  from  which  he 
returned  home  in  1850.  At  that  early  age 
literature  became  his  field  of  labor,  and  in 
1851  he  published  his  first  important  work, 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


145 


"  Nile  Notes  of  a  Howadji."  In  1852  two 
works  issued  from  his  facile  pen,  "The 
Howadji  in  Syria,"  and  "  Lotus-Eating. " 
Later  on  he  was  the  author  of  the  well- 
known  "  Potiphar  Papers,"  "  Prue  and  L" 
and  "Trumps."  He  greatly  distinguished 
himself  throughout  this  land  as  a  lecturer 
on  many  subjects,  and  as  an  orator  had  but 
few  peers.  He  was  also  well  known  as  one 
of  the  most  fluent  speakers  on  the  stump, 
making  many  political  speeches  in  favor  of 
the  Republican  party.  In  recognition  of 
his  valuable  services,  Mr.  Curtis  was  ap- 
pointed 'by  President  Grant,  chairman  of 
the  advisory  board  of  the  civil  service.  Al- 
though a  life-long  Republican,  Mr.  Curtis 
refused  to  support  Blaine  for  the  presidency 
in  1884,  because  of  his  ideas  on  civil  ser- 
vice and  other  reforms.  For  his  memorable 
and  magnificent  eulogy  on  Wendell  Phillips, 
delivered  in  Boston,  in  1884,  that  city  pre- 
sented Mr.  Curtis  with  a  gold  medal. 

George  W.  Curtis,  however,  is  best 
known  to  the  reading  public  of  the  United 
States  by  his  connection  with  the  Harper 
Brothers,  having  been  editor  of  the  "  Har- 
per's Weekly, "  and  of  the  "Easy  Chair," 
in  "  Harper's  Monthly  Magazine, "for many 
years,  in  fact  retaining  that  position  until 
the  day  of  his  death,  which  occurred  August 
31-  1892-  

ANDREW  JOHNSON,  the  seventeenth 
president  of  the  United  States,  served 
from  1865  to  1869.  He  was  born  Decem- 
ber 8,  1808,  at  Raleigh,  North  Carolina, 
and  was  left  an  orphan  at  the  age  of  four 
years.  He  never  attended  school,  and  was 
apprenticed  to  a  tailor.  While  serving  his 
apprenticeship  he  suddenly  acquired  a  pas- 
sion for  knowledge,  and  learned  to  read. 
From  that  time  on  he  spent  all  his  spare 
time  in  reading,  and   after  working  for  two 


years  as  a  journeyman  tailor  at  Lauren's 
Court  House,  South  Carolina,  he  removed 
to  Greenville,  Tennessee,  where  he  worked 
at  his  trade  and  was  married.  Under  his 
wife's  instruction  he  made  rapid  progress  in 
his  studies  and  manifested  such  an  interest 
in  local  politics  as  to  be  elected  as  "  work- 
ingmen's  candidate  "  alderman  in  1828,  and 
in  1830  to  the  mayoralty,  and  was  twice 
re-elected  to  each  office.  Mr.  Johnson 
utilized  this  time  in  cultivating  his  talents 
as  a  public  speaker,  by  taking  part  in  a  de- 
bating society.  He  was  elected  in  1835  to 
the  lower  house  of  the  legislature,  was  re- 
elected in  1839  as  a  Democrat,  and  in 
1 841  was  elected  state  senator.  Mr.  John- 
son was  elected  representative  in  congress 
in  1843  and  was  re-elected  four  times  in 
succession  until  1853,  when  he  was  the  suc- 
cessful candidate  for  the  gubernatorial  chair 
of  Tennessee.  He  was  re-elected  in  1855 
and  in  1857  he  entered  the  United  States 
senate.  In  i860  he  was  supported  by  the 
Tennessee  delegation  to  the  Democratic 
convention  for  the  presidential  nomination, 
and  lent  his  'influence  to  the  Breckinridge 
wing  of  the  party.  At  the  election  of  Lin- 
coln, which  brought  about  the  first  attempt 
at  secession  in  December,  i860,  Mr.  John- 
son took  a  firm  attitude  in  the  senate  for 
the  Union.  He  was  the  leader  of  the  loy- 
alists in  East  Tennessee.  By  the  course 
that  Mr.  Johnson  pursued  in  this  crisis  he 
was  brought  prominently  before  the  north- 
ern people,  and  when,  in  March,  1862,  he 
was  appointed  military  governor  of  Ten- 
nessee with  the  rank  of  brigadier-general, 
he  increased  his  popularity  by  the  vigorous 
manner  in  which  he  labored  to  restore 
order.  In  the  campaign  of  1864  he  was 
elected  vice-president  on  the  ticket  with 
President  Lincoln,  and  upon  the  assassi- 
nation of  the    latter   he    succeeded    to  the 


140 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


presidency,  April  15,  1865.  He  retained 
the  cabinet  of  President  Lincoln,  and  at 
first  exhibited  considerable  severity  towards 
the  former  Confederates,  but  he  soon  inau- 
gurated a  policy  of  reconstruction,  pro- 
claimed a  general  amnesty  to  the  late  Con- 
federates, and  established  provisional  gov- 
ernments in  the  southern  states.  These 
states  claimed  representation  in  congress  in 
the  following  December,  and  then  arose  the 
momentous  question  as  to  what  should  be 
the  policy  of  the  victorious  Union  against 
their  late  enemies.  The  Republican  ma- 
jority in  congress  had  an  apprehension  that 
the  President  would  undo  the  results  of  the 
war,  and  consequently  passed  two  bills  over 
the  executive  veto,  and  the  two  highest 
branches  of  the  government  were  in  open 
antagonism.  The  cabinet  was  reconstructed 
in  July,  and  Messrs.  Randall,  Stanbury  and 
Browning  superseded  Messrs.  Denison, 
Speed  and  Harlan.  In  August,  1867,  Pres- 
ident Johnson  removed  the  secretary  of  war 
and  replaced  him  with  General  Grant,  but 
when  congress  met  in  December  it  refused 
to  ratify  the  removal  of  Stanton,  who  re- 
sumed the  functions  of  his  office.  In  186S 
the  president  again  attempted  to  remove 
Stanton,  who  refused  to  vacate  his  post 
and  was  sustained  by  the  senate.  Presi- 
dent Johnson  was  accused  by  congress  of 
high  crimes  and  misdemeanors,  but  the  trial 
resulted  in  his  acquittal.  Later  he  was  Uni- 
ted States  senator  from  Tennessee,  and 
died  July  31,  1875. 


EDMUND  RANDOLPH,  first  attorney- 
general  of  the  United  States,  was  born 
in  Virginia,  August  10,  1753.  His  father, 
John  Randolph,  was  attorney-general  of 
Virginia,  and  lived  and  died  a  royalist.  Ed- 
mund was  educated  in  the  law,  but  joined 
the  army  as  aide-de-camp  to    Washington 


in  1775,  at  Cambridge,  Massachusetts.  He 
was  elected  to  the  Virginia  convention  in 
1776,  and  attorney-general  of  the  state  the 
same  year.  In  1779  he  was  elected  to  the 
Continental  congress,  and  served  four  years 
in  that  body.  He  was  a  member  of  the  con- 
vention in  1787  that  framed  the  constitu- 
tion. In  that  convention  he  proposed  what 
was  known  as  the  "  Virginia  plan"  of  con- 
federation, but  it  was  rejected.  He  advo- 
cated the  ratification  of  the  constitution  in 
the  Virginia  convention,  although  he  had  re- 
fused to  sign  it.  He  became  governor  of 
Virginia  in  1788,  and  the  next  year  Wash- 
ington appointed  him  to  the  ofBce  of  at- 
torney-general of  the  United  States  upon 
the  organization  of  the  government  under 
the  constitution.  He  was  appointed  secre- 
tary of  state  to  succeed  Jefferson  during 
Washington's  second  term,  but  resigned  a 
year  later  on  account  of  differences  in  the 
cabinet  concerning  the  policy  pursued  to- 
ward the  new  French  republic.  He  died 
September   12,  1813. 


W INFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK  was 
born  in  Montgomery  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, February  14,  1824.  He  received 
his  early  education  at  the  Norristown 
Academy,  in  his  native  county,  and,  in  1840, 
was  appointed  a  cadet  in  the  United  States 
Military  Academy,  at  West  Point.  He  was 
graduated  from  the  latter  in  1844,  andbrev- 
etted  as  second  lieutenant  of  infantry.  In 
1853  he  was  made  first  lieutenant,  and  two 
years  later  transferred  to  the  quartermaster's 
department,  with  the  rank  of  captain,  and 
in  1863  promoted  to  the  rank  of  major.  He 
served  on  the  frontier,  and  in  the  war  with 
Mexico,  displaying  conspicuous  gallantry  dur- 
ing the  latter.  He  also  took  a  part  in  the 
Seminole  war,  and  in  the  troubles  in  Kan- 
sas, in  1857,  and  in  California,  at  the  out- 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


147 


break  of  the  Civil  war,  as  chief  quarter- 
master of  the  Southern  district,  he  exerted 
a  powerful  influence.  In  iS6i  he  applied 
for  active  duty  in  the  field,  and  u'as  assigned 
to  the  department  of  Kentucky  as  chief 
quartermaster,  but  before  entering  upon  that 
duty,  was  appointed  brigadier-general  of 
volunteers.  His  subsequent  history  during 
the  war  was  substantially  that  of  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac.  He  participated  in  the 
campaign,  under  McClellan,  and  led  the 
gallant  charge,  which  captured  Fort  Magru- 
der,  won  the  day  at  the  battle  of  Wil- 
liamsburg, and  by  services  rendered  at 
Savage's  Station  and  other  engagements, 
won  several  grades  in  the  regular  service, 
and  was  recommended  by  McClellan  for 
major-general  of  volunteers.  He  was  a  con- 
spicuous figure  at  South  Mountain  and  An- 
tietam.  He  was  commissioned  major-gen- 
eral of  volunteers,  November  29,  1862,  and 
made  commander  of  the  First  Division  of 
the  Second  Corps,  which  he  led  at  Fred- 
ricksburg  and  at  Chancellorsville.  He  was 
appointed  to  the  command  of  the  Second 
Corps  in  June,  1863,  and  at  the  battle  of 
Gettysburg,  July  i,  2  and  3,  of  that  year, 
took  an  important  part.  On  his  arrival  on 
the  field  he  found  part  of  the  forces  then 
in  retreat,  but  stayed  the  retrograde 
movement,  checked  the  enemy,  and  on  the 
following  day  commanded  the  left  center, 
repulsed,  on  the  third,  the  grand  assault  of 
General  Lee's  army,  and  was  severely 
wounded.  For  his  services  on  that  field 
General  Hancock  received  the  thanks  of 
congress.  On  recovering  from  his  wound, 
he  was  detailed  to  go  north  to  stimulate  re- 
cruiting and  fill  up  the  diminished  corps,  and 
was  the  recipient  of  many  public  receptions 
and  ovations.  In  March,  1864,  he  returned 
to  his  command,  and  in  the  Wilderness  and 
at   Spottsylvania  led  large    bodies  of   men 


successfully  and  conspicuously.  From  that 
on  to  the  close  of  the  campaign  he  was  a 
prominent  figure.  In  November,  1864,  he 
was  detailed  to  organize  the  First  Veteran 
Reserve  Corps,  and  at  the  close  of  hostilities 
was  appointed  to  the  command  of  the  Mid- 
dle Military  Division.  In  July,  1866,  he 
was  made  major-general  of  the  regular 
service.  He  was  at  the  head  of  various 
military  departments  until  1872,  when  he 
was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  Atlantic,  which  post  he  held 
until  his  death.  In  1869  he  declined  the 
nomination  for  governor  of  Pennsylvania. 
He  was  the  nominee  of  the  Democratic 
party  for  president,  in  1880,  and  was  de- 
feated by  General  Garfield,  who  had  a  popu- 
lar majority  of  seven  thousand  and  eighteen 
and  an  electoral  majority'.of  fifty-nine.  Gen- 
eral Hancock  died  February  9,  1886. 


THOMAS  PAINE,  the  most  noted  polit- 
ical and  deistical  writer  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary period,  was  born  in  England,  Jan- 
uary 29,  1737,  of  Quaker  parents.  His  edu- 
cation waS'Obtained  in  the  grammar  schools 
of  Thetford,  his  native  town,  and  supple- 
mented by  hard  private  study  while  working 
at  his  trade  of  stay-maker  at  London  and 
other  cities  of  England.  He  was  for  a  time 
a  dissenting  preacher,  although  he  did  not 
relinquish  his  employment.  He  married  a 
revenue  official's  daughter,  and  was  employed 
in  the  revenue  service  for  some  time.  He 
then  became  a  grocer  and  during  all  this  time 
he  was  reading  and  cultivating  his  literary 
tastes,  and  had  developed  a  clear  and  forci- 
ble style  of  composition.  He  was  chosen  to 
represent  the  interests  of  the  excisemen, 
and  published  a  pamphlet  that  brought 
him  considerable  notice.  He  was  soon  after- 
ward introduced  to  Benjamin  Franklin,  and 
having  been  dismissed  from  the  service  on  a 


148 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


charge  of  smuggling,  his  resentment  led  him 
to  accept  the  advice  of  that  statesman  to 
come  to  America,  in  1774.  He  became 
editor  of  the  ' '  Pennsylvania  Magazine,"  and 
the  next  year  published  his  "Serious 
Thoughts  upon  Slavery"  in  the  "Penn- 
sylvania Journal."  His  greatest  political 
work,  however,  was  written  at  the  sugges- 
tion of  Dr.  Rush,  and  entitled  "Common 
Sense."  It  was  the  most  popular  pamphlet 
written  during  the  period  and  he  received 
two  thousand  five  hundred  dollars  from  the 
state  of  Pennsylvania  in  recognition  of  its 
value.  His  periodical,  the  "Crisis,"  began 
in  1776,  and  its  distribution  among  the 
soldiers  did  a  great  deal  to  keep  up  the  spirit 
of  revolution.  He  was  made  secretary  of 
the  committee  of  foreign  affairs,  but  was  dis- 
missed for  revealing  diplomatic  secrets  in 
one  of  his  controversies  with  Silas  Deane. 
He  was  originator  and  promoter  of  a  sub- 
scription to  relieve  the  distress  of  the  soldiers 
near  the  close  of  the  war,  and  was  sent  to 
France  with  Henry  Laurens  to  negotiate  the 
treaty  with  France,  and  was  granted  three 
thousand  dollars  by  congress  for  his  services 
there,  and  an  estate  at  New  Rochelle,  by  the 
state  of  New  York. 

In  1787,  after  the  close  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary war,  he  went  to  France,  and  a  few 
years  later  published  his  "  Rights  of  Man," 
defending  the  French  revolution,  which 
gave  him  great  popularity  in  France.  He 
was  made  a  citizen  and  elected  to  the  na- 
tional convention  at  Calais.  He  favored 
banishment  of  the  king  to  America,  and 
opposed  his  execution.  He  was  imprisoned 
for  about  ten  months  during  1794  by  the 
Robespierre  party,  during  which  time  he 
wrote  the  "  Age  of  Reason,"  his  great  deis- 
tical  work.  He  was  in  danger  of  the  guillo- 
tine for  several  months.  He  took  up  his 
residence  with  the  family  of  James  Monroe, 


then  minister  to  France  and  was  chosen 
again  to  the  convention.  He  returned 
to  the  United  States  in  1802,  and  was 
cordially  received  throughout  the  coun- 
try except  at  Trenton,  where  he  was  insulted 
by  Federalists.  He  retired  to  his  estate  at 
New  Rochelle,  and  his  death  occurred  June 
8,  1809.  

TOHN  WILLIAM  MAC  KAY  was  one  of 
kJ  America's  noted  men,  both  in  the  de- 
velopment of  the  western  coast  and  the 
building  of  the  Mackay  and  Bennett  cable. 
He  was  born  in  1831  at  Dublin,  Ireland; 
came  to  New  York  in  1840  and  his  boyhood 
days  were  spent  in  Park  Row.  He  went 
to  California  some  time  after  the  argonauts 
of  1849  and  took  to  the  primitive  methods 
of  mining — lost  and  won  and  finally  drifted 
into  Nevada  about  1S60.  The  bonanza  dis- 
coveries which  were  to  have  such  a  potent 
influence  on  the  finance  and  statesmanship 
of  the  day  came  in  1872.  Mr.  Mackay 
founded  the  Nevada  Bank  in  1878.  He  is 
said  to  have  taken  one  hundred  and 
fifty  million  dollars  in  bullion  out  of 
the  Big  Bonanza  mine.  There  were  as- 
sociated with  him  in  this  enterprise  James 
G.  Fair,  senator  from  Nevada;  William 
O'Brien  and  James  C.  Flood.  When 
vast  wealth  came  to  Mr,  Mackay  he  be- 
lieved it  his  duty  to  do  his  country  some 
service,  and  he  agitated  in  his  mind  the 
building  of  an  American  steamship  line, 
and  while  brooding  over  this  his  attention 
was  called  to  the  cable  relations  between 
America  and  Europe.  The  financial  man- 
agement of  the  cable  was  selfish  and  ex- 
travagant, and  the  capital  was  heavy  with 
accretions  of  financial  "  water"  and  to  pay 
even  an  apparent  dividend  upon  the  sums 
which  represented  the  nominal  value  of  the 
cables,  it  was  necessary  to  hold    the    rates 


COMPENDIUM    OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


149 


at  an  exorbitant  figure.  And,  moreover, 
the  cables  were  foreign;  in  one  the  influence 
of  France  being  paramount  and  in  the  other 
that  of  England;  and  in  the  matter  of  intel- 
ligence, so  necessary  in  case  of  war,  we 
would  be  at  the  mercy  of  our  enemies.  This 
train  of  thought  brought  Mr.  Mackay  into  re- 
lation with  James  Gordon  Bennett,  the  pro- 
prietor of  the  "  New  York  Herald."  The 
result  of  their  intercourse  was  that  Mr.  Mac- 
kay so  far  entered  into  the  enthusiasm  of 
Mr.  Bennett  over  an  independent  cable, 
that  he  offered  to  assist  the  enterprise  with 
five  hundred  thousand  dollars.  This  was  the 
inception  of  the  Commercial  Cable  Com- 
pany, or  of  what  has  been  known  for  years 
as  the   Mackay-Bennett  cable. 


ELISHA  GRAY,  the  great  inventor  and 
electrician,  was  born  August  2,  i835> 
at  Barnesville,  Belmont  county,  Ohio.  He 
was,  as  a  child,  greatly  interested  in  the 
phenomena  of  nature,  and  read  with  avidity 
all  the  books  he  could  obtain,  relating  to 
this  subject.  He  was  apprenticed  to  various 
trades  during  his  boyhood,  but  his  insatiable 
thirst  for  knowledge  dominated  his  life  and 
he  found  time  to  study  at  odd  intervals. 
Supporting  himself  by  working  at  his  trade, 
he  found  time  to  pursue  a  course  at  Oberlin 
College,  where  he  particularly  devoted  him- 
self to  the  study  of  physicial  science.  Mr. 
Gray  secured  his  first  patent  for  electrical 
or  telegraph  apparatus  on  October  i,  1867. 
His  attention  was  first  attracted  to  tele- 
phonic transmission  during  this  year  and  he 
saw  in  it  a  way  of  transmitting  signals  for 
telegraph  purposes,  and  conceived  the  idea 
of  electro-tones,  tuned  to  different  tones  in 
the  scale.  He  did  not  then  realize  the  im- 
portance of  his  invention,  his  thoughts  being 
employed  on  the  capacity  of  the  apparatus 
for  transmitting   musical   tones   through  an 


electric  circuit,  and  it  was  not  until  1874 
that  he  was  again  called  to  consider  the  re- 
production of  electrically-transmitted  vibra- 
tions through  the  medium  of  animal  tissue. 
He  continued  experimenting  with  various 
results,  which  finally  culminated  in  his 
taking  out  a  patent  for  his  speaking  tele- 
phone on  February  14,  1876.  He  took  out 
fifty  additional  patents  in  the  course  of 
eleven  years,  among  which  were,  telegraph 
switch,  telegraph  repeater,  telegraph  annun- 
ciator and  typewriting  telegraph.  From 
1869  until  1873  he  was  employed  in  the 
manufacture  of  telegraph  apparatus  in  Cleve- 
land and  Chicago,  and  filled  the  office  of 
electrician  to  the  Western  Electric  Com- 
pany. He  was  awarded  the  degree  of  D. 
S. ,  and  in  1874  he  went  abroad  to  perfect 
himself  in  acoustics.  Mr.  Gray's  latest  in- 
vention was  known  as  the  telautograph  or 
long  distance  writing  machine.  Mr.  Gray 
wrote  and  published  several  works  on  scien- 
tific subjects,  among  which  were:  "Tele- 
graphy and  Telephony,"  and  "  Experi- 
mental Research  in  Electro-Harmonic  Tele- 
graphy and  Telephony." 


WHITELAW  REID.— Among  the  many 
men  who  have  adorned  the  field  of 
journalism  in  the  United  States,  few  stand 
out  with  more  prominence  than  the  scholar, 
author  and  editor  whose  name  heads  this  ar- 
ticle. Born  at  Xenia,  Greene  county,  Ohio, 
October  27,  1837,  he  graduated  at  Miami 
University  in  1856.  For  about  a  year  he 
was  superintendent  of  the  graded  schools  of 
South  Charleston,  Ohio,  after  which  he  pur- 
chased the  "  Xenia  News,"  which  he  edited 
for  about  two  years.  This  paper  was  the 
first  one  outside  of  Illinois  to  advocate  the 
nomination  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  Mr.  Reid 
having  been  a  Republican  since  the  birth  of 
that  party  in  1856.      After  taking  an  active 


150 


COMPENDILM   OF    lUOGRAPIir 


part  in  the  campaign,  in  the  winter  of  1860- 
61,  he  went  to  the  state  capital  as  corres- 
pondent of  three  daily  papers.  At  the  close 
of  the  session  of  the  legislature  he  became 
city  editor  of  the  "Cincinnati  Gazette," 
and  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  went  to 
the  front  as  a  correspondent  for  that  journal. 
For  a  time  he  served  on  the  staff  of  General 
Morris  in  West  Virginia,  with  the  rank  of 
captain.  Shortly  after  he  was  on  the  staff 
of  General  Rosecrans,  and,  under  the  name 
of  "Agate,"  wrote  most  graphic  descrip- 
tions of  the  movements  in  the  field,  espe- 
cially that  of  the  battle  ol  Pittsburg  Land- 
ing. In  the  spring  of  1862  Mr.  Raid  went 
to  Washington  and  was  appointed  librarian 
to  the  house  of  representatives,  and  acted  as 
correspondent  of  the  "  Cincinnati  Gazette." 
His  description  of  the  battle  of  Gettysburg, 
written  on  the  field,  gained  him  added 
reputation.  In  1865  he  accompanied  Chief 
Justice  Chase  on  a  southern  tour,  and  pub- 
lished "After  the  War;  a  Southern  Tour." 
During  the  ne.xt  two  years  he  was  engaged 
in  cotton  planting  in  Louisiana  and  Ala- 
bama, and  published  "Ohio  in  the  War. " 
In  1868  he  returned  to  the  "  Cincinnati  Ga- 
zette," becoming  one  of  its  leading  editors. 
The  same  year  he  accepted  the  invitation  of 
Horace  Greeley  and  became  one  of  the  staff 
on  the  "  New  York  Tribune."  Upon  the 
death  of  Mr.  Greeley  in  1872,  Mr.  Reid  be- 
came editor  and  chief  proprietor  of  that 
paper.  In  1878  he  was  tendered  the  United 
States  mission  to  Berlin,  but  declined.  The 
offer  was  again  made  by  the  Garfield  ad- 
ministration, but  again  he  declined.  In 
1878  he  was  elected  by  the  New  York  legis- 
lature regent  of  the  university,  to  succeed 
General  John  A.  Dix.  Under  the  Harrison 
administration  he  served  as  United  States 
minister  to  France,  and  in  1892  was  the 
Republican  nominee  for  the  vice-presidency 


of  the  United  States.  Among  other  works 
published  by  him  were  the  "  Schools  of 
Journalism,"  "The  Scholar  in  Politics," 
''Some  Newspaper  Tendencies,"  and 
' '  Town-Hall  Suggestions. " 


GEORGE  WHITEFIELD  was  one  of 
the  most  powerful  and  effective  preach- 
ers the  world  has  ever  produced,  swaying 
his  hearers  and  touching  the  hearts  of  im- 
mense audiences  in' a  manner  that  has  rarely 
been  equalled  and  never  surpassed.  While 
not  a  native  of  America,  yet  much  of  his 
labor  was  spent  in  this  country.  He  wielded 
a  great  influence  in  the  United  States  in 
early  days,  and  his  death  occurred  here;  so 
that  he  well  deserves  a  place  in  this  volume 
as  one  of  the  most  celebrated  men  America 
has  known. 

George  Whitefield  was  born  in  the  Bull 
Inn,  at  Gloucester,  England,  December  16, 
1714.  He  acquired  the  rudimentsof  learn- 
ing in  St.  Mary's  grammar  school.  Later 
he  attended  Oxford  University  for  a  time, 
where  he  became  intimate  with  the  Oxford 
Methodists,  and  resolved  to  devote  himself 
to  the  ministry.  He  was  ordained  in  the 
Gloucester  Cathedral  June  20,  1836,  and 
the  following  day  preached  his  first  sermon 
in  the  same  church.  On  that  day  there 
commenced  a  new  era  in  Whitefield's  life. 
He  went  to  London  and  began  to  preach  at 
Bishopsgate  church,  his  fame  soon  spread- 
ing over  the  city,  and  shortly  he  was  en- 
gaged four  times  on  a  single  Sunday  in  ad- 
dressing audiences  of  enormous  magnitude, 
and  he  preached  in  various  parts  of  his  native 
country,  the  people  crowding  in  multitudes 
to  hear  him  and  hanging  upon  the  rails  and 
rafters  of  the  churches  and  approaches  there- 
to. He  finally  sailed  for  America,  landing 
in  Georgia,  where  he  stirred  the  people  to 
great  enthusiasm.     During  the  balance  of 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


153 


his  life  he  divided  his  time  between  Great 
Britain  and  America,  and  it  is  recorded  that 
he  crossed  the  Atlantic  thirteen  times.  He 
came  to  America  for  the  seventh  time  in 
1770.  ,  He  preached  every  day  at  Boston 
from  the  17th  to  the  20th  of  September, 
1770,  then  traveled  to  Newburyport,  preach- 
ing at  Exeter,  New  Hampshire,  September 
29,  on  the  way.  That  evening  he  went  to 
Newburyport,  where  he  died  the  next  day, 
Sunday,  September  30,  1770. 

"  Whitefield's  dramatic  power  was  amaz- 
ing,"  says  an  eminent  writer  in  describing 
him.  "  His  voice  was  marvelously  varied, 
and  he  ever  had  it  at  command — an  organ, 
a  flute,  a  harp,  all  in  one.  His  intellectual 
powers  were  not  of  a  high  order,  but  he  had 
an  abundance  of  that  ready  talent  and  that 
wonderful  magnetism  which  makes  the  pop- 
ular preacher;  and  beyond  all  natural  en- 
dowments, there  was  in  his  ministry  the 
power  of  evangelical  truth,  and,  as  his  con- 
verts believed,  the  presence  of  the  spirit  of 
God."  

CHARLES  FRANCIS  BRUSH,  one  of 
America's  prominent  men  in  the  devel- 
opment of  electrical  science,  was  born  March 
17,  1849,  near  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  spent 
his  early  life  on  his  father's  farm.  From 
the  district  school  at  Wickliffe,  Ohio,  he 
passed  to  the  Shaw  Academy  at  Collamer, 
and  then  entered  the  high  school  at  Cleve- 
land. His  interest  in  chemistry,  ph3'sics 
and  engineering  was  already  marked,  and 
during  his  senior  year  he  was  placed  in 
charge  of  the  chemical  and  physical  appar- 
atus. During  these  years  he  devised  a  plan 
for  lighting  street  lamps,  constructed  tele- 
scopes, and  his  first  electric  arc  lamp,  also 
an  electric  motor.  In  September,  1867,  he 
entered  the    engineering  department  of   the 

University    of    Michigan    and   graduated   in 
9 


1869,  which  was  a  year  in  advance  of  his 
class,  with  the  degree  of  M.  E.  He  then 
returned  to  Cleveland,  and  for  three  years 
was  engaged  as  an  analytical  chemist  and 
for  four  years  in  the  iron  business.  In 
1875  Mr.  Brush  became  interested  in  elec- 
tric lighting,  and  in  1876,  after  four  months' 
experimenting,  he  completed  the  dynamo- 
electric  machine  that  has  made  his  name 
famous,  and  in  a  shorter  time  produced  the 
series  arc  lamps.  These  were  both  patent- 
ed in  the  United  States  in  1876,  and  he 
afterward  obtained  fifty  patents  on  his  later 
inventions,  including  the  fundamental  stor- 
age battery,  the  compound  series,  shunt- 
winding  for  dynamo-electric  machines,  and 
the  automatic  cut-out  for  arc  lamps.  His 
patents,  two-thirds  of  which  have  already 
been  profitable,  are  held  by  the  Brush 
Electric  Company,  of  Cleveland,  while  his 
foreign  patents  are  controlled  by  the  Anglo- 
American  Brush  Electric  Light  Company, 
of  London.  In  1880  the  Western  Reserve 
University  conferred  upon  Mr.  Brush  the 
degree  of  Ph.  D.,  and  in  1881  the  French 
government  decorated  him  as  a  chevalier  of 
the  Legion  of  Honor. 


HENRY  CLEWS,  of  Wall-street  fame, 
was  one  of  the  noted  old-time  opera- 
tors on  that  famous  street,  and  was  also  an 
author  of  some  repute.  Mr.  Clews  was 
born  in  Staffordshire,  England,  August  14, 
1840.  His  father  had  him  educated  with 
the  intention  of  preparing  him  for  the  minis- 
try, but  on  a  visit  to  the  United  States  the 
young  man  became  interested  in  a  business 
life,  and  was  allowed  to  engage  as  a  clerk  in 
the  importing  house  of  Wilson  G.  Hunt  & 
Co.,  of  New  York.  Here  he  learned  the 
first  principles  of  business,  and  when  the  war 
broke  out  in  1861  young  Clews  saw  in  the 
needs  of  the    government  an   opportunity  to 


154 


C OMPENDl UM    OF    lUO G UA  J'//r 


reap  a  golden  harvest.  He  identified  him- 
self with  the  negotiating  of  loans  for  the 
government,  and  used  his  powers  of  pur- 
suasion  upon  the  great  money  powers  to 
convince  them  of  the  stability  of  the  govern- 
ment and  the  value  of  its  securities.  By 
enthusiasm  and  patriotic  arguments  he  in- 
duced capitalists  to  invest  their  money  in 
government  securities,  often  against  their 
judgment,  and  his  success  was  remarkable. 
His  was  one  of  the  leading  firms  that  aided 
the  struggling  treasury  department  in  that 
critical  hour,  and  his  reward  was  great.  In 
addition  to  the  vast  wealth  it  brought. 
President  Lincoln  and  Secretary  Chase 
both  wrote  important  letters,  acknowledging 
his  valued  service.  In  1873,  hy  the  repu- 
diation of  the  bonded  indebtedness  of  the 
state  of  Georgia,  Mr.  Clews  lost  si.x  million 
dollars  which  he  had  invested  in  those  se- 
curities. It  is  said  that  he  is  the  only  man, 
with  one  exception,  in  Wall  street,  who 
ever  regained  great  wealth  after  utter  dis- 
aster. His  "  Twenty-Eight  Years  in  Wall 
Street  "  has  been  widely  read. 


ALFRED  VAIL  was  one  of  the  men  that 
gave  to  the  world  the  electric  telegraph 
and  the  names  of  Henry,  Morse  and  Vail 
will  forever  remain  linked  as  the  prime  fac- 
tors in  that  great  achievement.  Mr.  Vail 
was  born  September  25,  1807,  at  Morris- 
town,  New  Jersey,  and  was  a  son  of  Stephen 
Vail,  the  proprietor  of  the  Speedwell  Iron 
Works,  near  Morristown.  At  the  age  of 
seventeen,  after  he  had  completed  his  stud- 
ies at  the  Morristown  Academy,  Alfred  Vail 
went  into  the  Speedwell  Iron  Works  and 
contented  himself  with  the  duties  of  his 
position  until  he  reached  his  majority.  He 
then  determined  to  prepare  himself  for  the 
ministry,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-five  he 
entered  the  University  of  the   City  of   New 


York,  where  he  was  graduated  in  1836.  His 
health  becoming  impaired  he  labored  for  a 
time  under  much  uncertainty  as  to  his  future 
course.  Professor  S.  F.  B.  Morse  had  come 
to  the  university  in  1835  as  professor  of  lit- 
erature and  fine  arts,  and  about  this  time, 

1837,  Professor  Gale,  occupying  the  chair 
of  chemistry,  invited  Morse  to  exhibit  his 
apparatus  for  the  benefit  of  the  students. 
On  Saturday,  September  2,  1837,  the  exhi- 
bition took  place  and  Vail  was  asked  to  at- 
tend, and  with  his  inherited  taste  for  me- 
chanics and  knowledge  of  their  construction, 
he  saw  a  great  future  for  the  crude  mechan- 
ism used  by  Morse  in  giving  and  recording 
signals.  Mr.  Vail  interested  his  father  in 
the  invention,  and  Morse  was  invited  to 
Speedwell  and  the  elder  Vail  promised  to 
help  him.  It  was  stipulated  that  Alfred 
Vail  should  construct  the  required  apparatus 
and  exhibit  before  a  committee  of  congress 
the  telegraph  instrument,  and  was  to  receive 
a  quarter  interest  in  the  invention.  Morse 
had  devised  a  series  of  ten  numbered  leaden 
types,  which  were  to  be  operated  in  giving 
the  signal.  This  was  not  satisfactory  to 
Vail,  so  he  devised  an  entirely  new  instru- 
ment, involving  a  lever,  or  "point,"  on  a 
radically  different  principle,  which,  when 
tested,  produced  dots  and  dashes,  and  de- 
vised the  famous  dot-and-dash  alphabet, 
misnamed  the  "  Morse."  At  last  the  ma- 
chine was  in  working  order,  on  January  6, 

1838.  The  machine  was  taken  to  Wash- 
ington, where  it  caused  not  only  wonder, 
but  excitement.  Vail  continued  his  experi- 
ments and  devised  the  lever  and  roller. 
When  the  line  between  Baltimore  and 
Washington  was  completed.  Vail  was  sta- 
tioned at  the  Baltimore  end  and  received 
the  famous  first  message.  It  is  a  remarka- 
ble fact  that  not  a  single  feature  of  tthe 
original  invention  of   Morse,  as  formulated 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


155 


by  his  caveat  and  repeated  in  his  original 
patent,  is  to  be  found  in  Vail's  apparatus. 
From  1837  to  1844  it  was  a  combination  of 
the  inventions  of  Morse,  Henry  and  Vail, 
but  the  work  of  Morse  fell  gradually  into 
desuetude,  while  Vail's  conception  of  an 
alphabet  has  remained  unchanged  for  half  a 
century.  Mr.  Vail  published  but  one  work, 
"American  Electro-Magnetic  Telegraph," 
in  1845,  and  died  at  Morristown  at  the  com- 
paratively early  age  of  fifty-one,  on  January 
19.  1859-  

ULYSSES  S.  GRANT,  the  eighteenth 
president  of  the  United  States,  was 
born  April  27,  1822,  at  Point  Pleasant,  Cler- 
mont county,  Ohio.  At  the  age  of  seven- 
teen he  entered  the  United  States  Military 
Academy  at  West  Point,  from  which  he 
graduated  in  June,  1843,  and  was  given  his 
brevet  as  second  lieutenant  and  assigned  to 
the  Fourth  Infantry.  He  remained  in  the 
service  eleven  years,  in  which  time  he 
was  engaged  in  the  Mexican  war  with  gal- 
lantry, and  was  thrice  brevetted  for  conduct 
in  the  field.  In  1848  he  married  Miss  Julia 
Dent,  and  in  1854,  having  reached  the 
grade  of  captain,  he  resigned  and  engaged 
in  farming  near  St.  Louis.  In  1S60  he  en- 
tered the  leather  business  with  his  father  at 
Galena,  Illinois. 

On  the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  in  1861, 
he  commenced  to  drill  a  company  at  Ga- 
lena, and  at  the  same  time  offered  his  serv- 
ices to  the  adjutant-general  of  the  army, 
but  he  had  few  influential  friends,  so  re- 
ceived no  answer.  He  was  employed  by 
the  governor  of  Illinois  in  the  organization 
of  the  various  volunteer  regiments,  and  at 
the  end  of  a  few  weeks  was  given  the 
colonelcy  of  the  Twenty-first  Infantry,  from 
that  state.  His  military  training  and  knowl- 
edge soon  attracted  the  attention  of  his  su- 


perior officers,  and  on  reporting  to  General 
Pope  in  Missouri,  the  latter  put  him  in 
the  way  of  advancement.  August  7,  1861, 
he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  brigadier- 
general  of  volunteers,  and  for  a  few  weeks 
was  occupied  in  watching  the  movements  of 
partisan  forces  in  Missouri.  September  i, 
the  same  year,  he  was  placed  in  command 
of  the  Department  of  Southeast  Missouri, 
with  headquarters  at  Cairo,  and  on  the  6th 
of  the  month,  without  orders,  seized  Padu- 
cah,  which  commanded  the  channel  of  the 
Ohio  and  Tennessee  rivers,  by  which  he  se- 
cured Kentucky  for  the  Union.  He  now 
received  orders  to  make  a  demonstration  on 
Belmoat,  which  he  did,  and  with  about  three 
thousand  raw  recruits  held  his  own  against 
the  Confederates  some  seven  thousand 
strong,  bringing  back  about  two  hundred 
prisoners  and  two  guns.  In  February,[i862, 
he  moved  up  the  Tennessee  river  with 
the  naval  fleet  under  Commodore  Foote. 
The  latter  soon  silenced  Fort  Henry,  and 
Grant  advanced  against  Fort  Donelson  and 
took  their  fortress  and  its  garrison.  His 
prize  here  consisted  of  sixty-five  cannon, 
seventeen  thousand  six  hundred  stand  of 
arms,  and  fourteen  thousand  six  hundred 
and  twenty-three  prisoners.  This  was  the 
first  important  success  won  by  the  Union 
forces.  Grant  was  immediately  made  a 
major-general  and  placed  in  command  of 
the  district  of  West  Tennessee.  In  April, 
1862,  he  fought  the  battle  of  Pittsburg  Land- 
ing, and  after  the  evacuation  of  Corinth  by 
the  enemy  Grant  became  commander  of  the 
Department  of  the  Tennessee.  He  now 
made  his  first  demonstration  toward  Vicks- 
burg,  but  owing  to  the  incapacity  of  subor- 
dinate officers,  was  unsuccessful.  In  Janu- 
ary, 1863,  he  took  command  of  all  the 
troops  in  the  Mississippi  Valley  and  devoted 
several  months  to  the  siege  of  Vicksburg, 


156 


COMPENDIUM   OF    BIOGRAPHY. 


which  was  finally  taken  possession  of  by  him 
July  4,  with  thirty-one  thousand  six  humired 
prisoners  and  one  hundred  and  seventy-two 
cannon,  thus  throwing  the  Mississippi  river 
open  to  the  Federals.  He  was  now  raised 
to  the  rank  of  major-general  in  the  regular 
army.  October  following,  at  the  head  of 
the  Department  of  the  Mississippi,  General 
Grant  went  to  Chattanooga,  where  he  over- 
threw the  enemy,  and  united  with  the  Army 
of  the  Cumberland.  The  remarkable  suc- 
cesses achieved  by  him  pointed  Grant  out 
for  an  appropriate  commander  of  all  na- 
tional troops,  and  in  February,  1864,  the 
rank  of  lieutenant-general  was  made  for  him 
by  act  of  congress.  Sending  Sherman  into 
Georgia,  Sigel  into  the  Valley  of  West  Vir- 
ginia and  Butler  to  attempt  the  capture  of 
Richmond  he  fought  his  vvay  through  the 
Wilderness  to  the  James  and  pressed  the 
siege  of  the  capital  of  the  Confederacy. 
After  the  fall  of  the  latter  Grant  pressed 
the  Confederate  army  so  hard  that  their 
commander  surrendered  at  Appomattox 
Court  House,  April  9,  1865.  This  virtually 
ended  the  war. 

After  the  war  the  rank  of  general  was 
conferred  upon  U.  S.  Grant,  and  in  1868  he 
was  elected  president  of  the  United  States, 
and  re-elected  his  own  successor  in  1872. 
After  the  expiration  of  the  latter  term  he 
made  his  famous  tour  of  the  world.  He  died 
at  Mt.  McGregor,  near  Saratoga,  New  York, 
July  23,  1885,  and  was  buried  at  Riverside 
Park,  New  York,  where  a  magnificent  tomb 
has  been  erected  to  hold  the  ashes  of  the 
nation's  hero. 


JOHN  MARSHALL,  the  fourth  chief  jus- 
tice of  the  United  States  supreme  court, 
was  born  in  Germantown,  Virginia,  Septem- 
ber 24,  1755.  His  father.  Colonel  Thomas 
Marshall,  served  with  distinction  in  the  Rev- 


olutionary war,  while  he  also  served  from 
the  beginning  of  the  war  until  1779,  where 
he  became  noted  in  the  field  and  courts 
martial.  While  on  detached  ser\'ice  he  at- 
tended a  course  of  law  lectures  at  William 
and  Mary  College,  delivered  by  Mr.  Wythe, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  The  next  year 
he  resigned  his  commission  and  began  his 
career  as  a  lawyer.  He  was  a  distinguished 
member  of  the  convention  called  in  Virginia 
to  ratify  the  Federal  constitution.  He  was 
tendered  the  attorney-generalship  of  the 
United  States,  and  also  a  place  on  the  su- 
preme bench,  besides  other  places  of  less 
honor,  all  of  which  he  declined.  He 
went  to  France  as  special  envoy  in  1798, 
and  the  next  year  was  elected  to  congress. 
He  served  one  year  and  was  appointed,  first, 
secretary  of  war,  and  then  secretary  of  state, 
and  in  1801  was  made  chief  justice  of  the 
United  States.  He  held  this  high  office  un- 
til his  death,  in  1835. 

Chief  Justice  Marshall's  early  education 
was  neglected,  and  his  opinions,  the  most 
valuable  in  existence,  are  noted  for  depth 
of  wisdom,  clear  and  comprehensive  reason- 
ing, justice,  and  permanency,  rather  than  for 
wide  learning  and  scholarly  construction. 
His  decisions  and  rulings  are  resorted  to 
constantly  by  our  greatest  lawyers,  and  his 
renown  as  a  just  judge  and  profound  jurist 
was  world  wide. 


LAWRENCE  BARRETT  is  perhaps 
known  more  widely  as  a  producer  of 
new  plays  than  as  a  great  actor.  He  was 
born  in  Paterson,  New  Jersey,  in  1838,  and 
educated  himself  as  best  he  could,  and  at 
the  age  of  sixteen  years  became  salesman 
for  a  Detroit  dry  goods  house.  He  after- 
wards began  to  go  upon  the  stage  as  a 
supernumerary,  and  his  ambition  was  soon 
rewarded  by  the  notice  of  the  management. 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


157 


During  the  war  of  the  Rebellion  he  was  a 
soldier,  and  after  valiant  service  for  his 
country  he  returned  to  the  stage.  He  went 
to  Europe  and  appeared  in  Liverpool,  and 
returning  in  1869,  he  began  playing  at 
Booth's  theater,  with  Mr.  Booth.  He  was 
afterward  associated  with  John  McCullough 
in  the  management  of  the  California 
theater.  Probably  the  most  noted  period 
of  his  work  was  during  his  connection  with 
Edwin  Booth  as  manager  of  that  great 
actor,  and  supporting  him  upon  the  stage. 
Mr.  Barrett  was  possessed  of  the  crea- 
tive instinct,  and,  unlike  Mr.  Booth,  he 
sought  new  fields  for  the  display  of  his 
genius,  and  only  resorted  to  traditional 
drama  in  response  to  popular  demand.  He 
preferred  new  plays,  and  believed  in  the 
encouragement  of  modern  dramatic  writers, 
and  was  the  only  actor  of  prominence  in  his 
time  that  ventured  to  put  upon  the  stage 
new  American  plays,  which  he  did  at  his 
own  expense,  and  the  success  of  his  experi- 
ments proved  the  quality  of  his  judgment. 
He  died  March  21,  1891. 


ARCHBISHOP  JOHN  HUGHES,  a  cel- 
ebrated Catholic  clergyman,  was  born 
at  Annaboghan,  Tyrone  county,  Ireland, 
June  24,  1797,  and  emigrated  to  America 
when  twenty  years  of  age,  engaging  for 
some  time  as  a  gardener  and  nurseryman. 
In  1 8 19  he  entered  St.  Mary's  College, 
where  he  secured  an  education,  paying  his 
way  by  caring  for  the  college  garden.  In 
1825  he  was  ordained  a  deacon  of  the  Ro- 
man Catholic  church,  and  in  the  same  year, 
a  priest.  Until  1 838  he  had  pastoral  charges 
in  Philadelphia,  where  he  founded  St.  John's 
Asylum  in  1829,  and  a  few  years  later  es- 
tablished the  "Catholic  Herald."  In  1838 
he  was  made  bishop  of  Basileopolis  in  parti- 
bus    and   coadjutor   to    Bishop   Dubois,   of 


New  York,  and  in  1842  became  bishop  of 
New  York.  In  1839  he  founded  St.  John's 
College,  at  Fordham.  In  1850  he  was 
made  archbishop  of  New  York.  In  1 861-2 
he  was  a  special  agent  of  the  United  States 
in  Europe,  after  which  he  returned  to  this 
country  and  remained  until  his  death,  Jan- 
uary 3,  1864.  Archbishop  Hughes  early 
attracted  much  attention  by  his  controver- 
sial correspondence  with  Rev.  John  Breck- 
inridge in  1833-35.  He  was  a  man  of  great 
ability,  a  fluent  and  forceful  writer  and  an 
able  preacher. 

RUTHERFORD  BIRCHARD  HAYES 
was  the  nineteenth  president  of  the 
United  States  and  served  from  1877  to  1881. 
He  was  born  October  4,  1822,  at  Delaware, 
Ohio,  and  his  ancestry  can  be  traced  back 
as  far  as  1280,  when  Hayes  and  Rutherford 
were  two  Scottish  chieftans  fighting  side  by 
side  with  Baliol,  William  Wallace  and 
Robert  Bruce.  The  Hayes  family  had  for 
a  coat  of  arms,  a  shield,  barred  and  sur- 
mounted by  a  flying  eagle.  There  was  a 
circle  of  stars  about  the  eagle,  while  on  a 
scroll  underneath  was  their  motto,  "Recte." 
Misfortune  overtook  the  family  and  in  1680 
George  Hayes,  the  progenitor  of  the  Ameri- 
can family,  came  to  Connecticut  and  settled 
at  Windsor.  Rutherford  B.  Hayes  was 
a  very  delicate  child  at  his  birth  and  was 
not  expected  to  live,  but  he  lived  in  spite  of 
all  and  remained  at  home  until  he  was 
seven  years  old,  when  he  was  placed  in 
school.  He  was  a  very  tractablepupil,  being 
always  very  studious,  and  in  1838  entered 
Ivenyon  College,  graduating  from  the  same 
in  1842.  He  then  took  up  the  study  of  law 
in  the  office  of  Thomas  Sparrow  at  Colum- 
bus, but  in  a  short  time  he  decided  to  enter 
a  law  school  at  Cambridge,  Massachusetts, 
where  for  two  years  he  was  immersed  in  the 


158 


COMPENDIUM  OF  BIOGRAPHY. 


study  of  law.  Mr.  Hayes  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  1845  in  Marietta,  Ohio,  and  very 
soon  entered  upon  the  active  practice  of  his 
profession  with  Ralph  P.  Buckland,  of 
Fremont,  Ohio.  He  remained  there  three 
years,  and  in  1849  removed  to  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  where  his  ambition  found  a  new 
stimulus.  Two  events  occurred  at  this 
period  that  had  a  powerful  influence  on  his 
after  life.  One  was  his  marriage  to  Miss 
Lucy  Ware  Webb,  and  the  other  was  his 
introduction  to  a  Cincinnati  literary  club, 
a  body  embracing  such  men  as  Salmon  P. 
Chase,  John  Pope,  and  Edward  F.  iJoyes. 
In  1856  he  was  nominated  for  judge  of  the 
court  of  common  pleas,  but  declined,  and 
two  years  later  he  was  appointed  city 
solicitor.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Rebellion 
Mr.  Hayes  was  appointed  major  of  the 
Twenty-third  Ohio  Infantry,  June  7,  1861, 
and  in  July  the  regiment  was  ordered  to 
Virginia,  and  October  15,  1861,  saw  him 
promoted  to  the  lieutenant-colonelcy  of  his 
regiment.  He  was  made  colonel  of  the 
Seventy-ninth  Ohio  Infantry,  but  refused  to 
leave  his  old  comrades;  and  in  the  battle  of 
South  Mountain  he  was  wounded  very 
severely  and  was  unable  to  rejoin  his  regi- 
ment until  November  30,  1S62.  He  had 
been  promoted  to  the  colonelcy  of  the 
regiment  on  October  15,  1862.  In  the 
following  December  he  was  appointed  to 
command  the  Kanawa  division  and  was 
given  the  rank  of  brigadier-general  for 
meritorious  services  in  several  battles,  and 
in  1 864  he  was  brevetted  major-general  for 
distinguished  services  in  1864,  during 
which  campaign  he  was  wounded  several 
times  and  five  horses  had  been  shot  under 
him.  Mr.  Hayes'  first  venture  in  politics 
was  as  a  Whig,  and  later  he  was  one  of  the 
first  to  unite  with  the  Republican  party.  In 
1864  he  was  elected  from  the  Second  Ohio 


district  to  congress,  re-elected  in  1866, 
and  in  1867  was  elected  governor  of  Ohio 
over  Allen  G.  Thurman,  and  was  re-elected 
in  1869.  Mr.  Hayes  was  elected  to  the 
presidency  in  1876,  for  the  term  of  four 
years,  and  at  its  close  retired  to  private  life, 
and  went  to  his  home  in  Fremont,  Ohio, 
where  he  died  on  January  17,  1893. 


WILLIAM  JENNINGS  BRYAN  became 
a  celebrated  character  as  the  nominee 
of  the  Democratic  and  Populist  parties  for 
president  of  the  United  States  in  1896.  He 
was  born  March  19,  i860,  at  Salem,  Illi- 
nois. He  received  his  early  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  his  native  county,  and 
later  on  he  attended  the  Whipple  Academy 
at  Jacksonville.  He  also  took  a  course  in 
Illinois  College,  and  after  his  graduation 
from  the  same  went  to  Chicago  to  study 
law,  and  entered  the  Union  College  of  Law 
a=  a  student.  He  was  associated  with  the 
late  Lyman  Trumbull,  of  Chicago,  during 
his  law  studies,  and  devoted  considerable 
time  to  the  questions  of  government.  He 
graduated  from  the  college,  was  admitted  to 
the  bar,  and  went  to  Jacksonville,  Illinois, 
where  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Eliza- 
beth Baird.  In  1887  Mr.  Bryan  removed 
to  Lincoln,  Nebraska,  and  formed  a  law 
partnership  with  Adolphus  R.  Talbot.  He 
entered  the  field  of  politics,  and  in  1888 
was  sent  as  a  delegate  to  the  state  con- 
vention, which  was  to  choose  delegates  to 
the  national  convention,  during  which  he 
made  a  speech  which  immediately  won  him 
a  high  rank  in  political  affairs.  He  declined, 
in  the  next  state  convention,  a  nomination 
for  lieutenant-governor,  and  in  1890  he  was 
elected  congressman  from  the  First  district 
of  Nebraska,  and  was  the  youngest  member 
of  the  fifty-second  congress.  He  cham- 
pioned  the  Wilson   tariff  bill,    and  served 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


159 


three  terms  in  the  house  of  representatives. 
He  next  ran  for  senator,  but  was  defeated 
by  John  M.  Thurston,  and  in  1896  he  was 
selected  by  the  Democratic  and  PopuHst 
parties  as  their  nominee  for  the  presidency, 
being  defeated  by  William  McKinley. 


M' 


ARVIN  HUGHITT,  one  of  America's 
famous  railroad  men,  was  born  in 
Genoa,  New  York,  and  entered  the  railway 
service  in  1856  as  superintendent  of  tele- 
graph and  trainmaster  of  the  St.  Louis,  Al- 
ton &  Chicago,  now  Chicago  &  Alton  Rail- 
road. Mr.  Hughitt  was  superintendent  of 
the  southern  division  of  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad  from  1S62  until  1864,  and  was,  later 
on,  the  general  superintendent  of  the  road 
until  1870.  He  was  then  connected  with 
the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Rail- 
road as  assistant  general  manager,  and  re- 
tained this  position  until  1871,  when  he  be- 
came the  general  manager  of  Pullman's 
Palace  Car  Company.  In  1872  he  was  made 
general  superintendent  of  the  Chicago  & 
Northwestern  Railroad.  He  served  during 
1876  and  up  to  1880  as  general  manager, 
and  from  1880  until  1887  as  vice-presi- 
dent and  general  manager.  He  was  elected 
president  of  the  road  in  1887,  in  recog- 
nition of  his  ability  in  conducting  the 
affairs  of  the  road.  He  was  also  chosen 
president  of  the  Chicago,  St.  Paul,  Minne- 
apolis &  Omaha  Railway;  the  Fremont,  Elk- 
horn  &  Missouri  Valley  Railroad,  and  the 
Milwaukee,  Lake  Shore  &  Western  Railroad, 
and  his  services  in  these  capacities  stamped 
him  as  one  of  the  most  able  railroad  mana- 
gers of  his  day. 


JOSEPH  MEDILL,  one  of  the  most 
eminent  of  American  journalists,  was 
born  in  New  Brunswick,  Canada,  April  6, 
1823.     In  1 83 1  his  father   moved   to  Stark 


county,  Ohio,  and  until  1841  Joseph  Medill 
worked  on  his  father's  farm.  Later  he 
studied  law,  and  began  the  practice  of  that 
profession  in  1846  at  New  Philadelphia, 
Ohio.  But  the  newspaper  field  was  more 
attractive  to  Mr.  Medill,  and  three  years 
later  he  founded  a  free-soil  Whig  paper  at 
Coshocton,  Ohio,  and  after  that  time  jour- 
nalism received  all  his  abilities.  "The 
Leader, "  another  free-soil  Whig  paper,  was 
founded  by  Mr.  Medill  at  Cleveland  in  1852. 
In  that  city  he  also  became  one  of  the  first 
organizers  of  the  Republican  party.  Shortly 
after  that  event  he  removed  to  Chicago  and 
in  1855,  with  two  partners,  he  purchased 
the  "  Chicago  Tribune."  In  the  contest  for 
the  nomination  for  the  presidency  in  i860, 
Mr.  Medill  worked  with  unflagging  zeal  for 
Mr.  Lincoln,  his  warm  personal  friend,  and 
was  one  of  the  president's  stanchest  sup- 
porters during  the  war.  Mr.  Medill  was  a 
member  of  the  Illinois  Constitutional  con- 
vention in  1870.  President  Grant,  in  1871, 
appointed  the  editor  a  member  of  the  first 
United  States  civil  service  commission,  and 
the  following  year,  after  the  fire,  he  was 
elected  mayor  of  Chicago  by  a  great  ma- 
jority. During  1873  and  1874  Mr.  Medill 
spent  a  year  in  Europe.  Upon  his  return 
he  purchased  a  controlling  interest  in  the 
"  Chicago  Tribune." 


CLAUSSPRECKELS,  the  great  "  sugar 
baron,"  and  one  of  the  most  famous 
representatives  of  commercial  life  in  Amer- 
ica, was  born  in  Hanover,  Germany,  and 
emigrated  to  the  United  States  in  1840, 
locating  in  New  York.  He  very  soon  be- 
came the  proprietor  of  a  small  retail  gro- 
cery store  on  Church  street,  and  embarked 
on  a  career  that  has  since  astonished  the 
world.  He  sold  out  his  business  and  went 
to  California  with  the  argonauts  of  1849, 


IGO 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGIiA/'J/r. 


not  as  a  prospector,  but  as  a  trader,  and  for 
years  after  his  arrival  on  the  coast  he  was 
still  engaged  as  a  grocer.  At  length,  after  a 
quarter  of  a  century  of  fairly  prosperous 
business  life,  he  found  himself  in  a  position 
where  an  ordinary  man  would  have  retired, 
but  Mr.  Spreckles  did  not  retire;  he  had 
merely  been  gathering  capital  for  the  real 
work  of  his  life.  His  brothers  had  followed 
him  to  California,  and  in  combination  with 
them  he  purchased  for  forty  thousand  dollars 
an  interest  in  the  Albany  Brewery  in  San 
Francisco.  But  the  field  was  not  extensive 
enough  for  the  development  of  his  business 
abilities,  so  Mr.  Sprecklas  branched  out 
extensively  in  the  sugar  business.  He  suc- 
ceeded in  securing  the  entire  output  of 
sugar  that  was  produced  on  the  Sand- 
wich Islands,  and  after  1885  was  known  as 
the  "Sugar  King  of  Sandwich  Islands." 
He  controlled  absolutely  the  sugar  trade  of 
the  Pacific  coast  which  was  known  to  be 
not  less  than  ten  million  dollars  a  year. 


CHARLES  HENRY  PARKHURST, 
famous  as  a  clergyman,  and  for  many 
years  president  of  the  Society  for  the 
Prevention  of  Crime,  was  born  April  17, 
1842,  at  Framingham,  Massachusetts,  of 
English  descent.  At  the  age  of  sixteen 
he  was  pupil  in  the  grammar  school  at 
Clinton,  Massachusetts,  and  for  the  ensu- 
ing two  years  was  a  clerk  in  a  dry  goods 
store,  which  position  he  gave  up  to  prepare 
himself  for  college  at  Lancaster  academy. 
Mr.  Parkhurst  went  to  Amherst  in  1862, 
and  after  taking  a  thorough  course  he  gradu- 
ated in  1866,  and  in  1867  became  the  prin- 
cipal of  the  Amherst  High  School.  He  re- 
tained this  position  until  1870,  when  he 
visited  Germany  with  the  intention  of  tak- 
ing a  course  in  philosophy  and  theology, 
but  was  forced  to  abandon  this  intention  on 


account  of  illness  in  the  family  causing  his 
early  return  from  Europe.  He  accepted  the 
chair  of  Latin  and  Greek  in  Williston  Semi- 
nary, Easthampton,  Massachusetts,  and  re- 
mained there  two  years.  He  then  accom- 
panied his  wife  to  Europe,  and  devoted  two 
years  to  study  in  Halle,  Leipsic  and  Bonn. 
Upon  his  return  home  he  spent  considerable 
time  in  the  study  of  Sanscrit,  and  in  1874 
he  became  the  pastor  of  the  First  Congrega- 
tional church  at  Lenox,  Massachusetts.  He 
gained  here  his  reputation  as  a  pulpit  ora- 
tor, and  on  March  9,  1S80,  he  became  the 
pastor  of  the  Madison  Square  Presbyterian 
church  of  New  York.  He  was,  in  1890, 
made  a  member  of  the  Society  for  the  Pre- 
vention of  Crime,  and  the  same  year  be- 
came its  president.  He  delivered  a  sermon 
in  1892  on  municipal  corruption,  for  which 
he  was  brought  before  the  grand  jury,  which 
body  declared  his  charges  to  be  without  suffi- 
cient foundation.  But  the  matter  did  not  end 
here,  for  he  immediately  went  to  work  on  a 
second  sermon  in  which  he  substantiated  his 
former  sermon  and  wound  up  by  saying, 
"I  know,  for  I  have  seen."  He  was  again 
summoned  before  that  august  body,  and  as 
a  result  of  his  testimony  and  of  the  investi- 
gation of  the  jurors  themselves,  the  police 
authorities  were  charged  with  incompetency 
and  corruption.  Dr.  Parkhurst  was  the 
author  of  the  following  works:  ' '  The  Forms 
of  the  Latin  Verb,  Illustrated  by  Sanscrit," 
"The  Blind  Man's  Creed  and  Other  Ser- 
mons," "The  Pattern  on  the  Mount,"  and 
"  Three  Gates  on  a  Side." 


HENRY  BERGH,  although  a  writer, 
diplomatist  and  government  official, 
was  noted  as  a  philanthropist — the  founder 
of  the  American  Society  for  the  Prevention 
of  Cruelty  to  Animals.  On  his  labors  for 
the    dumb    creation    alone    rests  his   fame. 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


161 


Alone,  in  the  face  of  indifference,  opposition 
and  ridicule,  he  began  the  reform  which  is 
now  recognized  as  one  of  the  beneficent 
movements  of  the  age.  Through  his  exer- 
tions as  a  speaker  and  lecturer,  but  above 
all  as  a  bold  worker,  in  the  street,  in  the 
court  room,  before  the  legislature,  the  cause 
he  adopted  gained  friends  and  rapidly  in- 
creased in  power  until  it  has  reached  im- 
mense proportions  and  influence.  The  work 
of  the  society  covers  all  cases  of  cruelty  to 
all  sorts  of  animals,  employs  every  moral 
agency,  social,  legislative  and  personal,  and 
touches  points  of  vital  concern  to  health  as 
well  as  humanity. 

Henry  Bergh  was  born  in  New  York 
City  in  1823,  and  was  educated  at  Colum- 
bia College.  In  1863  he  was  made  secre- 
tary of  the  legation  to  Russia  and  also 
served  as  vice-consul  there.  He  also  de- 
voted some  time  to  literary  pursuits  and  was 
the  author  of  "Love's  Alternative,"  a 
drama;  "Married  Off,"  a  poem;  "'The 
Portentous  Telegram, "  "The  Ocean  Para- 
gon;" "The  Streets  of  New  York,"  tales 
and  sketches. 


HENRY  BENJAMIN  WHIPPLE,  one 
of  the  most  eminent  of  American  di- 
vines, was  born  in  Adams,  Jefferson  county, 
New  York,  February  15,  1822.  He  was 
brought  up  in  the  mercantile  business,  and 
early  in  life  took  an  active  interest  in  polit- 
ical affairs.  In  1847  he  became  a  candidate 
for  holy  orders  and  pursued  theological 
studies  with  Rev.  W.  D.  Wilson,  D.  D., 
afterward  professor  in  Cornell  University. 
He  was  ordained  deacon  in  1849,  in  Trinity 
church,  Geneva,  New  York,  by  Rt.  Rev. 
W.  H.  De  Lancey,  D.  D.,  and  took  charge 
of  Zion  church,  Rome,  New  York,  Decem- 
ber I,  1849.  In  1850,  our  subject  was  or- 
dained priest    by    Bishop  De    Lancey.      In 


1857  he  became  rector  of  the  Church  of  the 
Holy  Communion,  Chicago.  On  the  30th 
of  June,  1859,  he  was  chosen  bishop  of 
Minnesota,  and  took  charge  of  the  interests 
of  the  Episcopal  church  in  that  state,  being 
located  at  Faribault.  In  i860  Bishop 
Whipple,  with  Revs.  I.  L.  Breck,  S.  W. 
Mauncey  and  E.  S.  Peake,  organized  the 
Bishop  Seabury  Mssion,  out  of  which  has 
grown  the  Cathedral  of  Our  Merciful  Savior, 
the  Seabury  Divinity  School,  Shattuck 
School  and  St.  Mary's  Hall,  which  have 
made  Faribault  City  one  of  the  greatest 
educational  centers  of  the  northwest.  Bishop 
Whipple  also  became  noted  as  the  friend 
and  defender  of  the  North  American  In- 
dians and  planted  a  number  of  successful 
missions  among  them. 


EZRA  CORNELL  was  one  of  the  greatest 
philanthropists  and  friends  of  education 
the  country  has  known.  He  was  born  at 
Westchester  Landing,  New  York,  January 
II,  1807.  He  grew  to  manhood  in  his  na- 
tive state  and  became  a  prominent  figure  in 
business  circles  as  a  successful  and  self-made 
man.  Soon  after  the  invention  of  the  elec- 
tric telegraph,  he  devoted  his  attention  to 
that  enterprise,  and  accumulated  an  im- 
mense fortune.  In  1865,  by  a  gift  of  five 
hundred  thousand  dollars,  he  made  possible 
the  founding  of  Cornell  University,  which 
was  named  in  his  honor.  He  afterward 
made  additional  bequests  amountingto  many 
hundred  thousand  dollars.  His  death  oc- 
curred at  Ithaca,  New  York,  December  9, 
1874-  

IGNATIUS  DONNELLY,  widely  knowi. 
1  as  an  author  and  politician,  was  born  in 
Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  November  3, 
1 83 1.  He  was  educated  at  the  public 
schools  of  that  city,  and  graduated  from  the 


162 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPJir 


Central  High  School  in  1849.  He  studied 
law  in  the  office  of  Judge  B.  H.  Brewster, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1852.  In 
the  spring  of  1856,  Mr.  Donnelly  emigrated 
to  Minnesota,  then  a  new  territory,  and,  at 
Hastings,  resumed  the  practice  of  law  in 
partnership  with  A.  M.  Hayes.  In  1857, 
and  again  in  1858,  he  was  defeated  for  state 
senator,  but  in  1859  he  was  elected  by  the 
Republicans  as  lieutenant-governor,  and  re- 
elected in  1 86 1.  In  1862  he  was  elected  to 
represent  the  Second  district  of  Minnesota 
in  congress.  He  was  re-elected  to  the  same 
office  in  1864  and  in  1866.  He  was  an 
abolitionist  and  warmly  supported  President 
Lincoln's  administration,  but  was  strongly 
in  favor  of  leniency  toward  the  people  of 
the  south,  after  the  war.  In  many  ways  he 
was  identified  with  some  of  the  best  meas- 
ures brought  before  the  house  during  his 
presence  there.  In  the  spring  of  1868,  at 
the  request  of  the  Republican  national  com- 
mittee, he  canvassed  New  Hampshire  and 
Connecticut  in  the  interests  of  that  party. 
E.  B.  Washburne  about  this  time  made  an 
attack  on  Donnelly  in  one  of  the  papers  of 
Minnesota,  which  was  replied  to  on  the  floor 
of  the  house  by  a  fierce  phillipic  that  will 
long  be  remembered.  Through  the  inter- 
vention of  the  Washburne  interests  Mr.  Don- 
nelly failed  of  a  re-election  in  1870.  In 
1873  he  was  elected  to  the  state  senate  from 
Dakota  county,  and  continuously  re-elected 
until  1878.  In  1886  he  was  elected  mem- 
ber of  the  house  for  two  years.  In  later 
years  he  identified  himself  with  the  Popu- 
list party. 

In  1882,  Mr.  Donnelly  became  known  as 
an  author,  publishing  his  first  literary  work, 
"Atlantis,  the  Antediluvian  World,"  which 
passed  through  over  twenty-two  editions  in 
America,  several  in  England,  and  was  trans- 
lated into  French.      This  was  followed  by 


"  Ragnarok,  the  Age  of  Fire  and  Gravel," 
which  attained  nearly  as  much  celebrity  as 
the  first,  and  these  two,  in  the  opinion  of 
scientific  critics,  are  sufficient  to  stamp  the 
author  as  a  most  capable  and  painstaking 
student  of  the  facts  he  has  collated  in  them. 
The  work  by  which  he  gained  the  greatest 
notoriety,  however,  was  "The  Great  Cryp- 
togram, or  Francis  Bacon's  Cipher  in  the 
Shakespeare  Plays."  "Caesar's  Column," 
"  Dr.  Huguet,"  and  other  works  were  pub- 
lished subsequently. 


STEVEN  V.  WHITE,  a  speculator  of 
Wall  Street  of  national  reputation,  was 
born  in  Chatham  county,  North  Carolina, 
August  I,  1 83 1,  and  soon  afterward  re- 
moved to  Illinois.  His  home  was  a  log 
cabin,  and  until  his  eighteenth  year  he 
worked  on  the  farm.  Then  after  several 
years  of  struggle  with  poverty  he  graduated 
from  Knox  College,  and  went  to  St.  Louis, 
where  he  entered  a  wholesale  boot  and  shoe 
house  as  bookkeeper.  He  then  studied  law 
and  worked  as  a  reporter  for  the  "Missouri 
Democrat."  After  his  admission  to  the  bar 
he  went  to  New  York,  in  1865,  and  became 
a  member  of  the  banking  house  of  Marvin 
&  White.  Mr.  White  enjoyed  the  reputa- 
tion of  having  engineered  the  only  corner 
in  Wall  Street  since  Commodore  Vander- 
biit's  time.  This  was  the  famous  Lacka- 
wanna deal  in  1883,  in  which  he  made  a 
profit  of  two  million  dollars.  He  was  some- 
times called  "  Deacon"  White,  and,  though 
a  member  for  many  years  of  the  Plymouth 
church,  he  never  held  that  office.  Mr. 
White  was  one  of  the  most  noted  characters 
of  the  street,  and  has  been  called  an  orator, 
poet,  philanthropist,  linguist,  abolitionist, 
astronomer,  schoolmaster,  plowboy,  and 
trapper.  He  was  a  lawyer,  ex-congress- 
man, expert  accountant,  art  critic  andtheo- 


COMPEXn/UM   OF    BIOGRAPHY. 


163 


logian.  He  laid  the  foundation  for  a 
"Home  for  Colored  People,"  in  Chatham 
county,  North  Carolina,  where  the  greater 
part  of  his  father's  life  was  spent,  and  in 
whose  memory  the  work  was  undertaken. 


JAMES  A.  GARFIELD,  the  twentieth 
president  of  the  United  States,  was  born 
November  19,  1831,  in  Cuyahoga  county, 
Ohio,  and  was  the  son  of  Abram  and  Eliza 
(Ballou)  Garfield.  In  1833  the  father,  an 
industrious  pioneer  farmer,  died,  and  the 
care  of  the  family  devolved  upon  Thomas, 
to  whom  James  became  deeply  indebted  for 
educational  and  other  advantages.  As  James 
grew  up  he  was  industrious  and  worked  on 
the  farm,  at  carpentering,  at  chopping  wood, 
or  anything  else  he  found  to  do,  and  in  the 
meantime  made  the  most  of  his  books. 

Until  he  was  about  sixteen,  James'  high- 
est ambition  was  to  become  a  sea  captain. 
On  attaining  that  age  he  walked  to 
Cleveland,  and,  not  being  able  to  find  work, 
he  engaged  as  a  driver  on  the  Ohio  &  Penn- 
sylvania canal,  but  quit  this  after  a  short 
time.  He  attended  the  seminary  at  Ches- 
ter for  about  three  years,  after  which  he 
entered  Hiram  Institute,  a  school  started  by 
the  Discif)les  of  Christ  in  1850.  In  order 
to  pay  his  way  he  assumed  the  duties  of 
janitor  and  at  times  taught  school.  After 
completing  his  course  at  the  last  named  edu- 
cational institution  he  entered  Williams  Col- 
lege, from  which  he  graduated  in  1856.  He 
afterward  returned  to  Hiram  College  as  its 
president.  He  studied  law  and  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  1859.  November  11,  1858, 
Mr.  Garfield  and  Lucretia  Rudolph  were 
married. 

In  1859  Mr.  Garfield  made  his  first  polit- 
ical speeches,  at  Hiram  and  in  the  neighbor- 
hood. The  same  year  he  was  elected  to  the 
state  senate. 


On  the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  in  1861, 
he  became  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  Forty- 
second  Ohio  Infantry,  and,  while  but  a  new 
soldier,  was  given  command  of  four  regi- 
ments of  infantry  and  eight  companies  of 
cavalry,  with  which  he  drove  the  Confeder- 
ates under  Humphrey  Marshall  out  of  Ken- 
tucky. January  II,  1862,  he  was  commis- 
sioned brigadier-general.  He  participated 
with  General  Buell  in  the  battle  of  Shiloh 
and  the  operations  around  Corinth,  and  was 
then  detailed  as  a  member  of  the  Fitz  John 
Porter  court-martial.  Reporting  to  General 
Rosecrans,  he  was  assigned  to  the  position 
of  chief  of  staff,  and  resigned  his  position, 
with  the  rank  of  major-general,  when  his 
immediate  superior  was  superseded.  In 
the  fall  of  1862  Mr.  Garfield  was  elected  to 
congress  and  remained  in  that  body,  either 
in  the  house  or  senate,  until  1880. 

June  8,  1880,  at  the  national  Republican 
convention,  held  in  Chicago,  General  Gar- 
field was  nominated  for  the  presidency,  and 
was  elected,  He  was  inaugurated  March 
4,  1881,  but,  July  2,  following,  he  was  shot 
and  fatally  wounded  by  Charles  Guiteau  for 
some  fancied  political  slight,  and  died  Sep- 
tember 19,   1 88 1. 


INCREASE  MATHER  was  one  of  the 
1  most  prominent  preachers,  educators  and 
authors  of  early  times  in  the  New  England 
states.  He  was  born  at  Dorchester,  Massa- 
chusetts, June  21,  1639,  and  was  given  an 
excellent  education,  graduating  at  Harvard 
in  1656,  and  at  Trinity  College,  Dublin, 
two  years  later.  He  was  ordained  a  min- 
ister, and  preached  in  England  and  America, 
and  in  1664  became  pastor  of  the  North 
church,  in  Boston.  In  1685  he  became 
president  of  Harvard  University,  serving 
until  1 70 1.  In  1692  he  received  the  first 
doctorate  in  divinity    conferred  in  English 


1G4 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


speaking  America.  The  same  year  he  pro- 
cured in  Englaiid  a  new  charter  for  Massa- 
chusetts, which  conferred  upon  himself  the 
power  of  naming  the  governor,  Ueutenant- 
governor  and  council.  He  opposed  the 
severe  punishment  of  witchcraft,  and  took 
a  prominent  part  in  all  public  affairs  of  his 
day.  He  was  a  prolific  writer,  and  became 
the  author  of  nearly  one  hundred  publica- 
tions, large  and  small.  His  death  occurred 
August  23,  1723,  at  Boston. 


COTTON  MATHER,  a  celebrated  minis- 
ter in  the  "Puritan  times"  of  New 
England,  was  born  at  Boston,  Massachu- 
setts, February  12,  1663,  being  a  son  of 
Rev.  Increase  Mather,  and  a  grandson  of 
John  Cotton.  A  biography  of  his  father 
will  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 
Cotton  Mather  received  his  early  education 
in  his  native  city,  was  trained  by  Ezekiel 
Cheever,  and  graduated  at  Harvard  College 
in  1678;  became  a  teacher,  and  in  1684 
was  ordained  as  associate  pastor  of  North 
church,  Boston,  with  his  father,  having  by 
persistent  effort  overcome  an  impediment  in 
his  speech.  He  labored  with  great  zeal  as 
a  pastor,  endeavoring  also,  to  establish  the 
ascendancy  of  the  church  and  ministry  in 
civil  affairs,  and  in  the  putting  down  of 
witchcraft  by  legal  sentences,  a  work  in 
which  he  took  an  active  part  and  through 
which  he  is  best  known  in  history.  He  re- 
ceived the  degree  of  D.  D.  in  17 10,  con- 
ferred by  the  University  of  Glasgow,  and 
F.  R.  S.  in  17 1 3.  His  death  occurred  at 
Boston,  February  13,  1728.  He  was  the 
author  of  many  publications,  among  which 
were  "  Memorable  Providences  Relating  to 
Witchcraft,"  "Wonders  of  the  Invisible 
World,"  "Essays  to  Do  Good,"  "  Mag- 
nalia  Christi  Americana,"  and  "  Illustra- 
tions of  the  Sacred  Scriptures."     Some  of 


these  works  are  quaint  and  curious,  full  of 
learning,  piety  and  prejudice.  A  well- 
known  writer,  in  summing  up  the  life  and 
character  of  Cotton  Mather,  says:  ' '  Mather, 
with  all  the  faults  of  his  early  years,  was  a 
man  of  great  excellence  of  character.  He 
labored  zealously  for  the  benefit  of  the 
poor,  for  mariners,  slaves,  criminals  and 
Indians.  His  cruelty  and  credulity  were 
the  faults  of  his  age,  while  his  philanthro- 
phy  was  far  more  rare  in  that  age  than  in 
the  present." 

WILLIAM  A.  PEFFER,  who  won  a 
national  reputation  during  the  time 
he  was  in  the  United  States  senate,  was 
born  on  a  farm  in  Cumberland  county, 
Pennsylvania,  September  10,  1831.  He 
drew  his  education  from  the  public  schools 
of  his  native  state  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen 
taught  school  in  winter,  working  on  a  farm 
in  the  summer.  In  June,  1853,  while  yet  a 
young  man,  he  removed  to  Indiana,  and 
opened  up  a  farm  in  St.  Joseph  county. 
In  1859  he  made  his  way  to  Missouri  and 
settled  on  a  farm  in  Morgan  county,  but  on 
account  of  the  war  and  the  unsettled  state 
of  the  country,  he  moved  to  Illiiioi.s  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1862,  and  enlisted  as  a  private  in 
Company  F,  Eighty-third  Illinois  Infantry, 
the  following  August.  He  was  promoted 
to  the  rank  of  second  lieutenant  in 
March,  1863,  and  served  successively  as 
quartermaster,  adjutant,  post  adjutant, 
judge  advocate  of  a  military  commission, 
and  depot  quartermaster  in  the  engineer 
department  at  Nashville.  He  was  mustered 
out  of  the  service  June  26,  1865.  He  had, 
during  his  leisure  hours  while  in  the  army, 
studied  law,  and  in  August,  1865,  he  com- 
menced the  practice  of  that  profession  at 
Clarksville,  Tennessee.  He  removed  to 
Kansas  in   1870   and   practiced  there  until 


COMPENDIUM   OF    BIOGRAPHT. 


165 


1878,  in  the  meantime  establishing  and 
conducting  two  newspapers,  the  "  Fredonia 
Journal  "  and  "  Coffeyville  Journal." 

Mr.  Peffer  was  elected  to  the  state  senate 
in  1874  and  was  a  prominent  and  influential 
member  of  several  important  committees. 
He  served  as  a  presidential  elector  in  1880. 
The  year  following  he  became  editor  of  the 
"  Kansas  Farmer,"  which  he  made  a  promi- 
nent and  useful  paper.  In  1890  Mr.  Peffer 
was  elected  to  the  United  States  senate  as 
a  member  of  the  People's  party  and  took 
his  seat  March  4,  1891.  After  six  years  of 
service  Senator  Peffer  was  succeeded  in 
March,  1897,  by  William  A.  Harris. 


ROBERT  MORRIS.— The  name  of  this 
financier,  statesman  and  patriot  is 
closely  connected  with  the  early  history  of 
the  United  States.  He  was  a  native  of 
England,  born  January  20,  1734,  and  came 
to  America  with  his  father  when  thirteen 
years  old.  Until  1754  he  served  in  the 
counting  house  of  Charles  Willing,  then 
formed  a  partnership  with  that  gentleman's 
son,  which  continued  with  great  success  until 
1793.  In  1776  Mr.  Morris  was  a  delegate 
to  the  Continental  congress,  and,  although 
once  voting  against  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence, signed  that  paper  on  its  adop- 
tion, and  was  several  times  thereafter  re- 
elected to  congress.  During  the  Revolu- 
tionary war  the  services  of  Robert  Morris 
in  aiding  the  government  during  its  finan- 
cial difficulties  were  of  incalculable  value;  he 
freely  pledged  his  personal  credit  for  sup- 
plies for  the  army,  at  one  time  to  the  amount 
of  about  one  and  ahalf  million  dollars,  with- 
out which  the  campaign  of  1781  would  have 
been  almost  impossible.  Mr.  Morris  was 
appointed  superintendent  of  finance  in  1781 
and  served  until  1784,  continuing  to  employ 
his  personal  credit  to  facilitate  the  needs  of 


his  department.  He  also  served  as  mem- 
ber of  the  Pennsylvania  legislature,  and 
from  1786  to  1795  was  United  States  sena- 
tor, declining  meanwhile  the  position  of  sec- 
retary of  the  treasury,  and  suggesting  the 
name  of  Alexander  Hamilton,  who  was  ap- 
pointed to  that  post.  During  the  latter 
part  of  his  life  Mr.  Morris  was  engaged  ex- 
tensively in  the  China  trade,  and  later  be- 
came involved  in  land  speculations,  which 
ruined  him,  so  that  the  remaining  days  of 
this  noble  man  and  patriot  were  passed 
in  confinement  for  debt.  His  death  occurred 
at  Philadelphia,  May  8,  1806. 


WILLIAM  SHARON,  a  senator  and 
capitalist,  and  mine  owner  of  na- 
tional reputation,  was  born  at  Smithfield, 
Ohio,  January  9,  1821.  He  was  reared 
upon  a  farm  and  in  his  boyhood  given  excel- 
lent educational  advantages  and  in  1842 
entered  Athens  College.  He  remained  in 
that  institution  about  two  years,  after  which 
he  studied  law  with  Edwin  M.  Stanton,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  St.  Louis  and 
commenced  practice.  His  health  failing, 
however,  he  abandoned  his  profession  and 
engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits  at  Carrollton, 
Greene  county,  Illinois.  During  the  time 
of  the  gold  excitement  of  1849,  Mr.  Sharon 
went  to  California,  whither  so  many  went, 
and  engaged  in  business  at  Sacramento. 
The  next  year  he  removed  to  San  Francisco, 
where  he  operated  in  real  estate.  Being 
largely  interested  in  its  silver  mines,  he  re- 
moved to  Nevada,  locating  at  Virginia  City, 
and  acquired  an  immense  fortune.  He  be- 
came one  of  the  trustees  of  the  Bank  of 
California,  and  during  the  troubles  that 
arose  on  the  death  of  William  Ralston,  the 
president  of  that  institution,  was  largely  in- 
strumental in  bringing  its  affairs  into  a  satis- 
factory shape. 


ICG 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


Mr.  Sharon  was  elected  to  represent  the 
state  of  Nevada  in  the  United  States  senate 
in  1875,  and  remained  a  member  of  that 
body  until  1881.  He  was  always  distin- 
guished for  close  application  to  business. 
Senator  Sharon  died  November  13,  1885. 


HENRY  W.  SHAW,  an  American  hu- 
morist who  became  celebrated  under 
the  uon-di-plume  of  "  Josh  Billings,"  gained 
his  fame  from  the  witticism  of  his  writing, 
and  peculiar  eccentricity  of  style  and  spell- 
ing. He  was  born  at  Lanesborough,  Mas- 
sachusetts, in  18 1 8.  For  twenty-five  years 
he  lived  in  different  parts  of  the  western 
states,  following  various  lines  of  business, 
including  farming  and  auctioneering,  and  in 
the  latter  capacity  settled  at  Poughkeepsie, 
New  York,  in  1858.  In  1863  he  began 
writing  humorous  sketches  for  the  news- 
papers over  the  signature  of  "Josh  Bill- 
ings," and  became  immediately  popular 
both  as  a  writer  and  lecturer.  He  pub- 
lished a  number  of  volumes  of  comic 
sketches  and  edited  an  "  Annual  Allminax  " 
for  a  number  of  years,  which  had  a  wide  cir- 
culation. His  death  occurred  October  14, 
1885,  at  Monterey,  California. 


JOHN  M.  THURSTON,  well  known 
throughout  this  country  as  a  senator 
and  political  leader,  was  born  at  Mont- 
pelier,  Vermont,  August  21,  1847,  of  an 
old  Puritan  family  which  dated  back  their 
ancestry  in  this  country  to  1636,  and  among 
whom  were  soldiers  of  the  Revolution  and 
of  the  war  of  1812-15. 

Young  Thurston  was  brought  west  by 
the  family  in  1854,  they  settling  at  Madison, 
Wisconsin,  and  two  years  later  at  Beaver 
Dam,  where  John  M.  received  his  schooling 
in  the  public  schools  and  at  Wayland  Uni- 
versity.     His  father  enlisted  as  a  private  in 


the  First  Wisconsin  Cavalry  and  died  while 
in  the  service,  in  the  spring  of  1863. 

Young  Thurston,  thrown  on  his  own 
resources  while  attaining  an  education,  sup- 
ported himself  by  farm  work,  driving  team 
and  at  other  manual  labor.  He  studied  law 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  May  21,  1869, 
and  in  October  of  the  same  year  located  in 
Omaha,  Nebraska.  He  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  city  council  in  1872,  city 
attorney  in  1874  and  a  member  of  the  Ne- 
braska legislature  in  1874.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Republican  national  convention 
of  1884  and  temporary  chairman  of  that  of 
1888.  Taking  quite  an  interest  in  the 
younger  members  of  his  party  he  was  instru- 
mental in  forming  the  Republican  League 
of  the  United  States,  of  which  he  was  presi- 
dent for  two  years.  He  was  then  elected  a 
member  of  the  United  States  senate,  in 
1895,  to  represent  the  state  of  Nebraska. 

As  an  attorney  John  M.  Thurston  occu- 
pied a  very  prominent  place,  and  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  held  the  position  of  general 
solicitor  of  the  Union  Pacific  railroad  sys- 
tem. 


JOHN  JAMES  AUDUBON,  a  celebrated 
American  naturalist,  was  born  in  Louis- 
iana, May  4,  1780,  and  was  the  son  of  an 
opulent  French  naval  officer  who  owned  a 
plantation  in  the  then  French  colony.  In 
his  childhood  he  became  deeply  interested 
in  the  study  of  birds  and  their  habits.  About 
1794  he  was  sent  to  Paris,  France,  where 
he  was  partially  educated,  and  studied  de- 
signing under  the  famous  painter,  Jacques 
Louis  David.  He  returned  to  the  Unit- 
ed States  about  1798,  and  settled  on  a 
farm  his  father  gave  him,  on  the  Perkiomen 
creek  in  eastern  Pennsylvania.  He  mar- 
ried Lucy  Bakewell  in  1808,  and,  disposing 
of  his  property,  removed  to  Louisville,  Ken- 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


1(57 


tucky,  where  he  engaged  in  mercantile  pur- 
suits. About  two  years  later  he  began  to 
make  extensive  excursions  through  the  pri- 
meval forests  of  the  southern  and  south- 
western states,  in  the  exploration  of  which 
he  passed  many  years.  He  made  colored 
drawings  of  all  the  species  of  birds  that  he 
found.  For  several  years  he  made  his  home 
with  his  wife  and  children  at  Henderson,  on 
the  Ohio  river.  It  is  said  that  about  this 
time  he  had  failed  in  business  and  was  re- 
duced to  poverty,  but  kept  the  wolf  from  the 
door  by  giving  dancing  lessons  and  in  portrait 
painting.  In  1824,  at  Philadelphia,  he  met 
Charles  Lucien  Bonaparte,  who  encouraged 
him  to  publish  a  work  on  ornithology.  Two 
years  later  he  went  to  England  and  com- 
menced the  publication  of  his  great  work, 
"The  Birds  of  America."  He  obtained  a 
large  number  of  subscribers  at  one  thousand 
dollars  a  copy.  This  work,  embracing  five 
volumes  of  letterpress  and  five  volumes  of 
beautifully  colored  plates,  was  pronounced 
byCuvier  "the  most  magnificent  monument 
that  art  ever  raised  to  ornithology." 

Audubon  returned  to  America  in  1829, 
and  explored  the  forests,  lakes  and  coast 
from  Canada  to  Florida,  collecting  material 
for  another  work.  This  was  his  "  Ornitho- 
logical Biography;  or,  An  Account  of  the 
Habits  of  the  Birds  of  the  United  States, 
Etc."  He  revisited  England  in  1831,  and 
returned  in  1839,  after  which  he  resiaed  on 
the  Hudson,  near  New  York  City,  in  which 
place  he  died  January  27,  185 1.  During 
his  life  he  issued  a  cheaper  edition  of  his 
great  work,  and  was,  in  association  with 
Dr.  Bachman,  preparing  a  work  on  the 
quadrupeds  of  North  America. 


the  superior  British  squadron,  under  Com- 
modore Downie,  September  II,  18 14.  Com- 
modore McDonough  was  born  in  Newcastle 
county,  Delaware,  December  23,  1783,  and 
when  seventeen  years  old  entered  the 
United  States  navy  as  midshipman,  serving 
in  the  expedition  to  Tripoli,  under  Decatur, 
in  1803-4.  In  1807  he  was  promoted  to 
lieutenant,  and  in  July,  181 3,  was  made  a 
commander.  The  following  year,  on  Lake 
Champlain,  he  gained  the  celebrated  victory 
above  referred  to,  for  which  he  was  again 
promoted;  also  received  a  gold  medal  from 
congress,  and  from  the  state  of  Vermont  an 
estate  on  Cumberfend  Head,  in  view  of  the 
scene  of  the  engagement.  His  death  oc- 
curred at  sea,  November  16,  1825,  while  he 
was  returning  from  the  command  of  the 
Mediterranean  squadron. 


COMMODORE    THOMAS    McDON- 
OUGH  gained  his  principal  fame  from 
he  celebrated  victory  which  he  gained  over 


CHARLES  FRANCIS  HALL,  one  of 
America's  most  celebrated  arctic  ex- 
plorers, was  born  in  Rochester,  New  Hamp- 
shire, in  1 82 1.  He  was  a  blacksmith  by 
trade,  and  located  in  Cincinnati,  where  later 
he  became  a  journalist.  For  several  years 
he  devoted  a  great  deal  of  attention  to  cal- 
orics. Becoming  interested  in  the  fate  of  the 
explorer.  Sir  John  Franklin,  he  joined  the 
expedition  fitted  out  by  Henry  Grinnell  and 
sailed  in  the  ship  "George  Henry,"  under 
Captain  Buddington,  which  left  New  Lon- 
don, Connecticut,  in  i860.  He  returned  in 
1862,  and  two  years  later  published  his 
"  Arctic  Researches."  He  again  joined  the 
expedition  fitted  out  by  Mr.  Grinnell,  and 
sailed  in  the  ship,  "  Monticello,"  under 
Captain  Buddington,  this  time  remaining  in 
the  arctic  region  over  four  years.  On  his 
return  he  brought  back  many  evidences  of 
having  found  trace  of  Franklin. 

In  1 87 1  the  "  Polaris  "  was  fitted  out  by 
the  United  States  government,  and  Captain 


168 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BJUGRAPIir. 


Hall  again  sailed  for  the  polar  regions.  He 
died  in  Greenland  in  October,  1871,  and  the 
"Polaris"  was  finally  abandoned  by  the 
crew,  a  portion  of  which,  under  Captain 
Tyson,  drifted  with  the  icebergs  for  one 
hundred  and  ninety-five  days,  until  picked 
up  by  the  "  Tigress,"  on  the  30lh  of  April, 
1873.  The  other  portion  of  the  crew  built 
boats,  and,  after  a  perilous  voyage,  were 
picked  up  in  June,  1873,  by  a  whaling  vessel. 


OLIVER  ELLSWORTH,  the  third  chief 
justice  of  the  United  States,  was  born 
at  Windsor,  Connecticut,  April  29,  1745. 
After  graduating  from  Princeton,  he  took 
up  the  study  of  law,  and  was  licensed 
to  practice  in  1771.  In  1777  he  was  elected 
as  a  delegate  to  the  Continental  con-^ress. 
He  was  judge  of  the  superior  court  of  his 
state  in  1784,  and  was  chosen  as  a  delegate 
to  the  constitutional  convention  in  1787. 
He  sided  with  the  Federalists,  was  elected 
to  the  United  States  senate  in  1789,  and 
was  a  firm  supporter  of  Washington's  policy. 
He  won  great  distinction  in  that  body,  and 
was  appointed  chief  justice  of  the  supreme 
court  of  the  United  States  by  Washington 
in  1796.  The  relations  between  this  coun- 
try and  France  having  become  violently 
strained,  he  was  sent  to  Paris  as  envoy  ex- 
traordinary in  1799,  and  was  instrumental 
in  negotiating  the  treaty  that  averted  war. 
He  resigned  the  following  year,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Chief  Justice  Marshall.  His 
death  occurred  November  26,  1807. 


M 


ELLVILLE  WESTON  FULLER,  an 
eminent  American  jurist  and  chief 
justice  of  the  United  States  supreme  court, 
was  born  in  Augusta,  Maine,  in  1833.  His 
education  was  looked  after  in  boyhood,  and 
at  the  age  of  sixteen  he  entered  Bowdoin 
College,  and  on  graduation  entered  the  law 


department  of  Harvard  University.  He  then 
entered  the  law  office  of  his  uncle  at  Ban- 
gor, Maine,  and  soon  after  opened  an  office 
for  the  practice  of  law  at  Augusta.  He  was 
an  alderman  from  his  ward,  city  attorney, 
and  editor  of  the  "  Age,"  a  rival  newspaper 
of  the  "Journal,"  which  was  conducted  by 
James  G.  Blaine.  He  soon  decided  to  re- 
move to  Chicago,  then  springing  into  notice 
as  a  western  metropolis.  He  at  once  iden- 
tified himself  with  the  interests  of  the 
new  city,  and  by  this  means  acquired  an 
experience  that  fitted  him  for  his  future 
work.  He  devoted  himself  assiduously  to 
his  profession,  and  had  the  good  fortune  to 
connect  himself  with  the  many  suits  grow- 
ing out  of  the  prorogation  of  the  Illinois 
legislature  in  1863.  It  was  not  long  before 
he  became  one  of  the  foremost  lawyers  in 
Chicago.  He  made  a  three  days'  speech  in 
the  heresy  trial  of  Dr.  Cheney,  which  added 
to  his  fame.  He  was  appointed  chief  jus- 
tice of  the  United  States  by  President  Cleve- 
land in  18S8,  the  youngest  man  who  ever 
held  that  exalted  position.  His  income  from 
his  practice  had  for  many  years  reached 
thirty  thousand  dollars  annually. 


CHESTER  ALLEN  ARTHUR,  twenty- 
first  president  of  the  United  States,  was 
born  in  Franklin  county,  Vermont,  Octo- 
ber 5,  1830.  He  was  educated  at  Union 
College,  Schenectady,  New  York,  from 
which  he  graduated  with  honor,  and  en- 
gaged in  teaching  school.  After  two  years 
he  entered  the  law  office  of  Judge  E.  D. 
Culver,  of  New  York,  as  a  student.  He  was 
admitted  to  the  bar,  and  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  an  old  room-mate,  Henry  D.  Gar- 
diner, with  the  intention  of  practicing  law 
in  the  west,  but  after  a  few  months'  search 
for  a  location,  they  returned  to  New  York 
and  opened  an  office,  and   at  once  entered 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


I()0 


upon  a  profitable  practice.  He  was  shortly 
afterwards  married  to  a  daughter  of  Lieu- 
tenant Herndon,  of  the  United  States  navy. 
Mrs.  Arthur  died  shortly  before  his  nomina- 
tion for  the  vice-presidency.  In  1856  a 
colored  woman  in  New  York  was  ejected 
from  a  street  car  and  retained  Mr.  Arthur 
in  a  suit  against  the  company,  and  obtained 
a  verdict  of  five  hundred  dollars.  It  result- 
ed in  a  general  order  by  all  superintendents 
of  street  railways  in  the  city  to  admit  col- 
ored people  to  the  cars. 

Mr.  Arthur  was  a  delegate  to  the  first 
Republican  national  convention,  and  was 
appointed  judge-advocate  for  the  Second 
Brigade  of  New  York,  and  then  chief  engi- 
neer of  Governor  Morgan's  staff.  At  the 
close  of  his  term  he  resumed  the  practice  of 
law  in  New  York.  In  1872  he  was  made 
collector  of  the  port  of  New  York,  which 
position  he  held  four  years.  At  the  Chi- 
cago conve'htion  in  1880  Mr.  Arthur  was 
nominated  for  the  vice-presidency  with 
Garfield,  and  after  an  exciting  campaign 
was  elected.  Four  months  after  the  inau- 
guration President  Garfield  was  assassinated, 
and  Mr.  Arthur  was  called  to  take  the  reins 
of  government.  His  administration  of 
affairs  was  generally  satisfactory.  At  its 
close  he  resumed  the  practice  of  law  in  New 
York.  His  death  occurred  November  18, 
1886. 

ISAAC  HULL  was  one  of  the  most  con- 
spicuous and  prominent  naval  officers  in 
the  early  history  of  America.  He  was  born 
at  Derby,  Connecticut,  March  9,  1775,  be- 
ing the  son  of  a  Revolutionary  officer.  Isaac 
Hull  early  in  life  became  a  mariner,  and 
when  nineteen  years  of  age  became  master 
of  a  merchant  ship  in  the  London  trade. 
In  1798  he  became  a  lieutenant  in  the  United 

.States  navy,  and  three  years  later  was  made 
10 


first  lieutenant  of  the  frigate  "Constitution." 
He  distinguished  himself  by  skill  and  valor 
against  the  French  on  the  coast  of  Hayti,  and 
served  with  distinction  in  the  Barbary  expe- 
ditions. July  12,  1812,  he  sailed  from 
Annapolis,  in  command  of  the  "Constitu- 
tion, "  and  for  three  days  was  pursued  by  a 
British  squadron  of  five  ships,  from  which 
he  escaped  by  bold  and  ingenious  seaman- 
ship. In  August  of  the  same  year  he  cap- 
tured the  frigate  "  Guerriere,"  one  of  his 
late  pursuers  and  for  this,  the  first  naval 
advantage  of  that  war,  he  received  a  gold 
medal  from  congress.  Isaac  Hull  was  later 
made  naval  commissioner  and  had  command 
of  various  navy  yards.  His  death  occurred 
February  13,  1843,  at  Philadelphia. 


MARCUS  ALONZO  HANNA,  famous 
as  a  prominent  business  man,  political 
manager  and  senator,  was  born  in  New  Lis- 
bon, Columbiana  county,  Ohio,  September 
24,  1837.  He  removed  with  his  father's 
family  to  Cleveland,  in  the  same  state,  in 
1852,  and  in  the  latter  city,  and  in  the 
Western  Reserve  College,  at  Hudson,  Ohio, 
received  his  education.  He  became  an  em- 
ploye of  the  wholesale  grocery  house  of 
Hanna,  Garrettson  &  Co.,  his  father  being 
the  senior  member  of  the  firm.  The  latter 
died  in  1862,  and  Marcus  represented  his 
interest  until  1867,  when  the  business  was 
closed  up. 

Our  subject  then  became  a  member  of 
the  firm  of  Rhodes  &  Co.,  engaged  in  the 
iron  and  coal  business,  but  at  the  expira- 
tion of  ten  years  this  firm  was  changed  to 
that  of  M.  A.  Hanna  &  Co.  Mr.  Hanna 
was  long  identified  with  the  lake  carrying 
business,  being  interested  in  vessels  on  the 
lakes  and  in  the  construction  of  them.  As 
a  director  of  the  Globe  Ship  Manufacturing 
Company,    of    Cleveland,    president   of  the 


170 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRArilV. 


Union  National  Bank, of  Cleveland, president 
o(  the  Cleveland  City  Railway  Company, 
and  president  of  the  Chapin  Mining  Com- 
pany, of  Lake  Superior,  he  became  promi- 
nently identified  with  the  business  world. 
He  was  one  of  the  government  directors  of 
the  Union  Pacific  Railroad,  being  appointed 
to  that  position  in  1885  by  President  Cleve- 
land. 

Mr.  Hanna  was  a  delegate  to  the  na- 
tional Republican  convention  of  1884,  which 
was  his  first  appearance  in  the  political 
world.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the  con- 
ventions of  1888  and  1S96,  and  was  elect- 
ed chairman  of  the  Republican  national 
committee  the  latter  year,  and  practically 
managed  the  campaign  of  William  McKin- 
ley  for  the  presidency.  In  1897  Mr.  Hanna 
was  appointed  senator  by  Governor  Bush- 
nell,  of  Ohio,  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by 
the  resignation  of  John  Sherman. 


GEORGE  PEABODY  was  one  of  the 
best  known  and  esteem.ed  of  ali  philan- 
thropists, whose  munificent  gifts  to  Ameri- 
can institutions  have  proven  of  so  much 
benefit  to  the  cause  of  humanity.  He  was 
born  February  18,  1795,  at  South  Danvers, 
Massachusetts,  which  is  now  called  Pea- 
body  in  honor  of  him.  He  received  but  a 
meager  education,  and  during  his  early  life 
he  was  a  mercantile  clerk  at  Thetford,  Ver- 
mont, and  Newburyport,  Massachusetts.  In 
1 8 14  he  became  a  partner  with  Elisha 
Riggs,  at  Georgetown,  District  of  Columbia, 
and  in  181 5  they  moved  to  Baltimore,  Mary- 
land. The  business  grew  to  great  propor- 
tions, and  they  opened  branch  houses  at 
New  York  and  Philadelphia.  Mr.  Peabody 
made  several  voyages  to  Europe  of  com- 
mercial importance,  and  in  1829  became  the 
head  of  the  firm,  which  was  then  called 
Peabody,  Riggs  &  Co.,  and  in  1838   he  re- 


moved to  London,  England.  He  retired 
from  the  firm,  and  established  the  cele- 
brated banking  house,  in  which  he  accumu- 
lated a  large  fortune.  He  aided  Mr.  Grin- 
nell  in  fitting  out  Dr.  Kane's  Arctic  expedi- 
tion, in  1852,  and  founded  in  the  same  year 
the  Peabody  Institute,  in  his  native  town, 
which  he  afterwards  endowed  with  two  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars.  Mr.  Peabody  visited 
the  United  States  in  1857,  and  gave  three 
hundred  thousand  dollars  for  the  establish- 
ment at  Baltimore  of  an  institute  of  science, 
literature  and  fine  arts.  In  1862  he  gave 
two  million  five  hundred  thousand  dollars 
for  the  erecting  of  lodging  houses  for  the 
poor  in  London,  and  on  another  visit  to  the 
United  States  he  gave  one  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  dollars  to  establish  at  Harvard  a 
museum  and  professorship  of  American 
archaeology  and  ethnology,  an  equal  sum  for 
the  endowment  of  a  department  of  physical 
science  at  Yale,  and  gave  the  "Southern 
Educational  Fund  "  two  million  one  hundred 
thousand  dollars,  besides  devoting  two  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars  to  various  objects  of 
public  utility.  Mr.  Peabody  made  a  final 
visit  to  the  United  States  in  1869,  and  on 
this  occasion  he  raised  the  endowment  of 
the  Baltimore  Institute  one  million  dollars, 
created  the  Peabody  Museum,  at  Salem, 
Massachusetts,  with  a  fund  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  dollars,  gave  sixty  thou- 
sand dollars  to  Washington  College,  Vir- 
ginia; fifty  thousand  dollars  for  a  "Peabody 
Museum, "  at  North  Danvers,  thirty  thousand 
dollars  to  Phillips  Academy,  Andover;  twen- 
ty-five thousand  dollars  to  Kenyon  College, 
Ohio,  and  twenty  thousand  dollars  to  the 
Maryland  Historical  Society.  Mr.  Peabody 
also    endowed    an    art  school  at  Rome,    in 

1868.  He   died  in   London,  November  4, 

1869,  less  then  a  month  after  he  had  re- 
turned   from    the    United    States,    and    his 


COMPENDIUM  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


171 


remains  were  brought  to  the  United  States 
and  interred  in  his  native  town.  He  made 
several  other  bequests  in  his  will,  and  left 
his  family  about  five  million  dollars. 


MATTHEW  S.  QUAY,  a  celebrated 
public  man  and  senator,  was  born  at 
Dillsburgh,  York  county,  Pennsylvania, 
September  30,  1833,  of  an  old  Scotch-Irish 
family,  some  of  whom  had  settled  in  the 
Keystone  state  in  171 5.  Matthew  received 
a  good  education,  graduating  from  the  Jef- 
ferson College  at  Canonsburg,  Pennsylvania, 
at  the  age  of  seventeen.  He  then  traveled, 
taught  school,  lectured,  and  studied  law 
under  Judge  Sterrett.  He  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  1854,  was  appointed  a  prothon- 
otary  in  1855  and  elected  to  the  same 
office  in  1856  and  1859.  Later  he  was 
made  lieutenant  of  the  Pennsylvania  Re 
serves,  lieutenant-colonel  and  assistant  com- 
missary-general of  the  state,  private  secre- 
tary of  the  famous  war  governor  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, Andrew  G.  Curtin,  colonel  of  the 
One  Hundred  and  Thirty-fourth  Pennsylva- 
nia Infantry  (nine  months  men),  military 
state  agent  and  held  other  offices  at  different 
times. 

Mr.  Quay  was  a  member  of  the  house  of 
representatives  of  the  state  of  Pennsylvania 
from  1865  to  1868.  He  filled  the  office  of 
secretary  of  the  commonwealth  from  1872 
to  1878,  and  the  position  of  delegate-at- 
large  to  the  Republican  national  conventions 
of  1872,  1876,  1880  and  1888.  Hewasthe 
editor  of  the  "Beaver  Radical"  and  the 
"Philadelphia  Record"  for  a  time,  and  held 
many  offices  in  the  state  conventions  and  on 
their  committees.  He  was  elected  secre- 
tary of  the  commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania, 
1869,  and  served  three  years,  and  in  1885 
was  chosen  state  treasurer.  In  1886  his 
great    abilities    pointed    him    out    as    the 


natural  candidate  for  United  States  senator, 
and  he  was  accordingly  elected  to  that  posi- 
tion and  re-elected  thereto  in  1892.  He 
was  always  noted  for  a  genius  for  organiza- 
tion, and  as  a  political  leader  had  but  few 
peers.  Cool,  serene,  far-seeing,  resourceful, 
holding  his  impulses  and  forces  in  hand,  he 
never  quailed  from  any  policy  he  adopted, 
and  carried  to  success  most,  if  not  all,  of 
the  political  campaigns  in  which  he  took 
part. 

JAMES  K.  JONES,  a  noted  senator  and 
political  leader,  attained  national  fame 
while  chairman  of  the  national  executive 
committee  of  the  Democratic  party  in  the 
presidential  campaign  of  1896.  He  was  a 
native  of  Marshall  county,  Mississippi,  and 
was  born  September  29,  1839.  His  father, 
a  well-to-do  planter, settled  in  Dallas  county, 
Arkansas,  in  1848,  and  there  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  received  a  careful  education. 
During  the  Civil  war  he  served  as  a  private 
soldier  in  the  Confederate  army.  From 
1866  to  1873  he  passed  a  quiet  life  as  a 
planter,  but  in  the  latter  year  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  and  began  the  practice  of  law. 
About  the  same  time  he  was  elected  to  the 
Arkansas  senate  and  re-elected  in  1874.  In 
1877  he  was  made  president  of  the  senate 
and  the  following  year  was  unsuccessful  in 
obtaining  a  nomination  as  member  of  con- 
gress. In  1880  he  was  elected  representa- 
tive and  his  ability  at  once  placed  him  in  a 
foremost  position.  He  was  re-elected  to 
congress  in  1882  and  in  1884,  and  served  as 
an  influential  member  on  the  committee  of 
ways  and  means.  March  4,  1885,  Mr.  Jones 
took  his  seat  in  the  United  States  senate  to 
succeed  James  D.  Walker,  and  was  after- 
ward re-elected  to  the  same  office.  In  this 
branch  of  the  national  legislature  his  capa- 
bilities had  a  wider  scope,  and  he  was  rec- 


172 


COMPENDIUM  OF  BIOGRAPHY. 


ognized  as  one   of  the  ablest  leaders  of  his 
party. 

On  the  nomination  of  William  J.  Bryan 
as  its  candidate  for  the  presidency  by  the 
national  convention  of  the  Democratic 
f>arty,  held  in  Chicago  in  1896,  Mr.  Jones 
was  made  chairman  of  the  national  com- 
mittee. 

THEODORE  THOMAS,  one  of  the  most 
celebrated  musical  directors  America 
has  known,  was  born  in  the  kingdom  of  Han- 
over in  1835,  and  received  his  musical  educa- 
tion from  his  father.  He  was  a  very  apt  scholar 
and  played  the  violin  at  public  concerts  at 
the  age  of  si.x  years.  He  came  with  his 
parents  to  America  in  1845,  and  joined  the 
orchestra  of  the  Italian  Opera  in  New  York 
City.  He  played  the  first  violin  in  the 
orchestra  which  accompanied  Jenny  Lind 
in  her  first  American  concert.  In  1861  Mr. 
Thomas  established  the  orchestra  that  be- 
came famous  under  his  management,  and 
gave  his  first  symphony  concerts  in  New 
York  in  1864.  He  began  his  first  "summer 
night  concerts"  in  the  same  city  in  1868. 
and  in  1869  he  started  on  his  first  tour  of 
the  principal  cities  in  the  United  States, 
which  he  made  every  year  for  many  years. 
He  was  director  of  the  College  of  Music  in 
Cincinnati,  Ohio,  but  resigned  in  1880,  after 
having  held  the  position  for  three  years. 

Later  he  organized  one  of  the  greatest 
and  most  successful  orchestras  ever  brought 
together  in  the  city  of  Chicago,  and  was 
very  prominent  in  musical  affairs  during  the 
World's  Columbian  Exposition,  thereby  add- 
ing greatly  to  his  fame. 


father  invented  a  reaping  machine.  It  was 
a  rude  contrivance  and  not  successful.  In 
183 1  Cyrus  made  his  invention  of  a  reaping 
machine,  and  had  it  patented  three  years 
later.  By  successive  improvements  he  was 
able  to  keep  his  machines  at  the  head  of 
its  class  during  his  life.  In  1845  he  removed 
to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  two  years  later 
located  in  Chicago,  where  he  amassed  a 
great  fortune  in  manufacturing  reapers  and 
harvesting  machinery.  In  1859  he  estab- 
lished the  Theological  Seminary  of  the 
Northwest  at  Chicago,  an  institution  for  pre- 
paring young  men  for  the  ministry  in  the 
Presbyterian  church,  and  he  afterward  en- 
dowed a  chair  in  the  W^ashington  and  Lee 
College  at  Lexington,  Virginia.  He  mani- 
fested great  interest  in  educational  and  re- 
ligious matters,  and  by  his  great  wealth  he 
was  able  to  extend  aid  and  encouragement 
to  many  charitable  causes.  His  death  oc- 
curred >tay  13,  1884. 


CYRUS  HALL  McCORMICK,  the  fa- 
mous inventor  and  manufacturer,  was 
born  at  Walnut  Grove,  Virginia,  February 
15,1 809.     When  he  was  seven  years  old  his 


DAVID  ROSS  LOCKE.— Under  the 
pen  name  of  Petroleum  V.  Nasby,  this 
well-known  humorist  and  writer  made  for 
himself  a  household  reputation,  and  estab- 
lished a  school  that  has  many  imitators. 

The  subject  of  this  article  was  born  at 
Vestal,  Broome  county.  New  York,  Sep- 
tember 30,  1833.  After  receiving  his  edu- 
cation in  the  county  of  his  birth  he  en- 
tered the  office  of  the  "  Democrat,"  at  Cort- 
land, New  York,  where  he  learned  the 
printer's  trade.  He  was  successively  editor 
and  publisher  of  the  "Plymouth  Advertiser," 
the  "Mansfield  Herald,"  the  "  Bucyrus 
Journal,"  and  the  "Findlay  Jeffersonian." 
Later  he  became  editor  of  the  "Toledo 
Blade."  In  i860  he  commenced  his 
"  Nasby"  articles,  several  series  of  which 
have  been  given  the  world  in  book  form. 
Under  a  mask  of  misspelling,  and  in  a  guaiDt 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPHY, 


178 


and  humorous  style,  a  keen  political  satire 
;s  couched — a  most  effective  weapon. 
Mr.  Locke  was  the  author  of  a  num- 
ber of  serious  political  painphlets,  and 
later  on  a  more  pretentious  work,  "  The 
Morals  of  Abou  Ben  Adhem."  As  a  news- 
paper writer  he  gained  many  laurels  and  his 
works  are  widely  read.  Abraham  Lincoln 
is  said  to  have  been  a  warm  admirer  of  P. 
V.  Nasby,  of  "  Confedrit  X  Roads"  fame. 
Mr.  Locke  died  at  Toledo,  Ohio,  February 
15,  1888. 

RUSSELL  A.  ALGER,  noted  as  a  sol- 
dier, governor  and  secretary  of  war, 
was  born  in  Medina  county,  Ohio,  February 
27,  1836,  and  was  the  son  of  Russell  and 
Caroline  (Moulton)  Alger.  At  the  age  of 
twelve  years  he  was  left  an  orphan  and  pen- 
niless. For  about  a  year  he  worked  for 
his  board  and  clothing,  and  attended  school 
part  of  the  time.  In  1850  he  found  a  place 
which  paid  small  wages,  and  out  of  his 
scanty  earnings  helped  his  brother  and  sister. 
While  there  working  on  a  farm  he  found 
time  to  attend  the  Richfield  Academy,  and 
by  hard  work  between  times  managed  to  get 
a  fair  education  for  that  time.  The  last 
two  years  of  his  attendance  at  this  institu- 
tion of  learning  he  taught  school  during  the 
winter  months.  In  1857  he  commenced  the 
study  of  law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  1859.  For  a  while  he  found  employ- 
ment in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  but  impaired 
health  induced  him  to  remove  to  Grand 
Rapids,  where  he  engaged  in  the  lumber 
business.  He  was  thus  engaged  when  the 
Civil  war  broke  out,  and,  his  business  suf- 
fering and  his  savings  swept  away,  he  en- 
listed as  a  private  in  the  Second  Michigan 
Cavalry.  He  was  promoted  to  be  captain 
the  following  month,  and  major  for  gallant 
conduct  at  Boonesville,  Mississippi,  July  i, 


1862.  October  16,  1862,  he  was  made 
lieutenant-colonel  of  the  Sixth  Michigan 
Cavalry,  and  in  February,  1863,  colonel  of 
the  Fifth  Michigan  Cavalry.  He  rendered 
excellent  service  in  the  Gettysburg  cam- 
paign. He  was  wounded  at  Boonesboro, 
Maryland,  and  on  returning  to  his  command 
took  part  with  Sherman  in  the  campaign  in 
the  Shenandoah  Valley.  For  services  ren- 
dered, that  famous  soldier  recommended 
him  for  promotion,  and  he  was  brevetted 
major-general  of  volunteers.  In  1866  Gen- 
eral Alger  took  up  his  residence  at  Detroit, 
and  prospered  exceedingly  in  his  business, 
which  was  that  of  lumbering,  and  grew 
quite  wealthy.  In  1884  he  was  a  delegate 
to  the  Republican  national  convention,  and 
the  same  year  was  elected  governor  of 
Michigan.  He  declined  a  nomination  for 
re-election  to  the  latter  office,  in  1887,  and 
was  the  following  year  a  candidate  for  the 
nomination  for  president.  In  18S9  he  was 
elected  commander-in-chief  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic,  and  at  different 
times  occupied  many  offices  in  other  or- 
ganizations. 

In   March,    1897,    President    McKinley 
appointed  General  Alger  secretary  of  war. 


CYRUS  WEST  FIELD,  the  father  of 
submarine  telegraphy,  was  the  son  of 
the  Rev.  David  D.  Field,  D.D.,  a  Congre- 
gational minister,  and  was  born  at  Stock- 
bridge,  Massachusetts,  November  30,  18 19. 
He  was  educated  in  his  native  town,  and  at 
the  age  of  fifteen  years  became  a  clerk  in  a 
store  in  New  York  City.  Being  gifted  with 
excellent  business  ability  Mr.  Field  pros- 
pered and  became  the  head  of  a  large  mer- 
cantile house.  In  1853  he  spent  about  six 
months  in  travel  in  South  America.  On  his 
return  he  became  interested  in  ocean  teleg- 
raphy.    Being  solicited  to  aid  in  the  cou- 


174 


COMPENDIUM  OF    BIOGRAPHT. 


struction  of  a  land  telegraph  across  New 
Foundland  to  receive  the  news  from  a  line 
of  fast  steamers  it  was  proposed  to  run  from 
from  Ireland  to  St.  Johns,  the  idea  struck 
iiim  to  carry  the  line  across  the  broad  At- 
lantic. In  1S50  Mr.  Field  obtained  aeon- 
cession  from  the  legislature  of  Newfound- 
land, giving  him  the  sole  right  for  fifty  years 
to  land  submarine  cables  on  the  shores  of 
that  island.  In  company  with  Peter  Cooper, 
Moses  Taylor,  Marshall  O.  Roberts  and 
Chandler  White,  he  organized  a  company 
under  the  name  of  the  New  York,  New- 
foundland &  London  Telegraph  Companj-. 
In  two  years  the  line  from  New  York  across 
Newfoundland  was  built.  The  first  cable 
connecting  Cape  Breton  Island  with  New- 
foundland having  been  lost  in  a  storm  while 
being  laid  in"iS55,  another  was  put  down  in 
1856.  In  the  latter  year  Mr.  Field  went  to 
London  and  organized  the  Atlantic  Tele- 
graph Company,  furnishing  one-fourth  of  the 
capital  himself.  Both  governments  loaned 
ships  to  carry  out  the  enterprise.  Mr.  Field 
accompanied  the  expeditions  of  1857  and 
two  in  1858.  The  first  and  second  cables 
were  failures,  and  the  third  worked  but  a 
short  time  and  then  ceased.  The  people  of 
both  continents  became  incredulous  of  the 
feasibility  of  laying  a  successful  cable  under 
so  wide  an  expanse  of  sea,  and  the  war 
breaking  out  shortly  after,  nothing  was  done 
until  1865-66.  Mr.  Field,  in  the  former 
year,  again  made  the  attempt,  and  the  Great 
Eastern  laid  some  one  thousand  two  hun- 
dred miles  when  the  cable  parted  and  was 
lost.  The  following  year  the  same  vessel 
succeeded  in  laying  the  entire  cable,  and 
picked  up  the  one  lost  the  year  before,  and 
both  were  carried  to  America's  shore.  After 
thirteen  years  of  care  and  toil  Mr.  Field  had 
his  reward.  He  was  the  recipient  of  many 
medals   and  honors  from    both   home   and 


abroad.  He  gave  his  attention  after  this 
to  establishing  telegraphic  communication 
throughout  the  world  and  many  other  large 
enterprises,  notably  the  construction  of  ele- 
vated railroads  in  New  York.  Mr.  Field 
died  July  1 1,  1892. 


G ROVER  CLEVELAND,  the  twenty- 
second  president  of  the  United  States, 
was  born  in  Caldwell,  Essex  county,  New 
Jersey,  March  18,  1837,  and  was  the  son 
of  Rev.  Richard  and  Annie  (Neale)  Cleve- 
land. The  father,  of  distinguished  New 
England  ancestry,  was  a  Presbyterian  min- 
ister in  charge  of  the  church  at  Caldwell  at 
the  time. 

When  Grover  was  about  three  years  of 
age  the  family  removed  to  Fayetteville, 
Onondaga  county.  New  York,  where  he 
attended  the  district  school,  and  was  in  the 
academy  for  a  short  time.  His  father  be- 
lieving that  boys  should  early  learn  to  labor, 
Grover  entered  a  village  store  and  worked 
for  the  sum  of  fifty  dollars  for  the  first  year. 
While  he  was  thus  engaged  the  family  re- 
moved to  Clinton,  New  York,  and  there 
yoang  Cleveland  took  up  h's  studies  at  the 
academy.  The  death  of  his  father  dashed 
ail  his  hopes  of  a  collegiate  education,  the 
family  being  left  in  straightened  circum- 
stances, and  Grover  started  out  to  battle 
for  himself.  After  acting  for  a  year  (1853- 
54)  as  assistant  teacher  and  bookkeeper  in 
the  Institution  for  the  Blind  at  New  York 
City,  he  went  to  Buffalo.  A  short  time 
after  he  entered  the  law  office  of  Rogers, 
Bowen  &  Rogers,  of  that  city,  and  after  a 
hard  struggle  with  adverse  circumstances, 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1859.  He  be- 
came confidential  and  managing  clerk  for 
the  firm  under  whom  he  had  studied,  and 
remained  with  them  until  1863.  In  the  lat- 
ter year  he  was  appointed  district  attorney 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


175 


of  Erie  county.  It  was  during  his  incum- 
bency of  this  office  that,  on  being  nominated 
by  the  Democrats  for  supervisor,  he  came 
within  thirteen  votes  of  election,  although 
the  district  was  usually  Republican  by  two 
hundred  and  fifty  majority.  In  1 866  Grover 
Cleveland  formed  a  partnership  with  Isaac 
V.  Vanderpoel.  The  most  of  the  work  here 
fell  upon  the  shoulders  of  our  subject,  and 
he  soon  won  a  good  standing  at  the  bar  of 
the  state.  In  1869  Mr.  Cleveland  associated 
himself  in  business  with  A.  P.  Laning  and 
Oscar  Folsom,  and  under  the  firm  name  of 
Laning,  Cleveland  &  Folsom  soon  built  up  a 
fair  practice.  In  the  fall  of  1870  Mr.  Cleve- 
land was  elected  sheriff  of  Erie  county,  an 
office  which  he  filled  for  four  years,  after 
which  he  resumed  his  profession,  with  L.  K. 
Bass  and  Wilson  S.  Bissell  as  partners. 
This  firm  was  strong  and  popular  and 
shortly  was  in  possession  of  a  lucrative 
practice.  Mr.  Bass  retired  from  the  firm 
in  1879,  and  George  J.  Secard  was  admit- 
ted a  member  in  188 1.  In  the  latter  year 
Mr.  Cleveland  was  elected  mayor  of  Buffalo, 
and  in  1882  he  was  chosen  governor  by 
the  enormous  majority  of  one  hundred  and 
ninety-two  thousand  votes.  July  11,  1884, 
he  was  nominated  for  the  presidency  by  the 
Democratic  national  convention,  and  in 
November  following  was  elected. 

Mr.  Cleveland,  after  serving  one  term  as 
president  of  the  United  States,  in  1S88  was 
nominated  by  his  party  to  succeed  himself, 
but  he  failed  of  the  election,  being  beaten 
by  Benjamin  Harrison.  In  1892,  however, 
being  nominated  again  in  opposition  to  the 
then  incumbent  of  the  presidency,  Mr.  Har- 
rison, Grover  Cleveland  was  elected  pres- 
ident for  the  second  time  and  served  for  the 
usual  term  of  four  years.  In  1897  Mr. 
Cleveland  retired  from  the  chair  of  the  first 
magistrate  of  the  nation,  and  in  New  York 


City  resumed  the  practice  of  law,  in  which 
city  he  had  established  himself  in  1889. 

June  2,  1886,  Grover  Cleveland  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Frances  Fol- 
som, the  daughter  of  his  former  partner. 


ALEXANDER  WINCHELL,  for  many 
years  one  of  the  greatest  of  American 
scientists,  and  one  of  the  most  noted  and 
prolific  writers  on  scientific  subjects,  was 
born  in  Duchess  county.  New  York,  Decem- 
ber 31,  1824.  He  received  a  thorough  col- 
legiate education,  and  graduated  at  the 
Wesleyan  University,  Middletown,  Connect- 
icut, in  1847.  His  mind  took  a  scientific 
turn,  which  manifested  itself  while  he  was 
yet  a  boy,  and  in  1848  he  became  teacher 
of  natural  sciences  at  the  Armenian  Semi- 
nary, in  his  native  state,  a  position  which 
he  filled  for  three  years.  In  185 1-3  he  oc- 
cupied the  same  position  in  the  Mesopo- 
tamia Female  Seminary,  in  Alabama,  after 
which  he  was  president  of  the  Masonic  Fe- 
male Seminary,  in  Alabama.  In  1853  he 
became  connected  with  the  University  of 
Michigan,  at  Ann  Arbor,  at  which  institu- 
tion he  performed  the  most  important  work 
of  his  life,  and  gained  a  wide  reputation  as 
a  scientist.  He  held  many  important  posi- 
tions, among  which  were  the  following: 
Professor  of  physics  and  civil  engineering  at 
the  University  of  Michigan,  also  of  geology, 
zoology  and  botany,  and  later  professor  of 
geology  and  palaeontology  at  the  same  insti- 
tution. He  also,  for  a  time,  was  president 
of  the  Michigan  Teachers'  Association,  and 
state  geologist  of  Michigan.  Professor 
Winchell  was  a  very  prolific  writer  on  scien- 
tific subjects,  and  published  many  standard 
works,  his  most  important  and  widely  known 
being  those  devoted  to  geology.  He  also 
contributed  a  large  number  of  articles  to 
scientific  and  popular  journals. 


176 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRM'lir. 


ANDREW  HULL  FOOTE.  of  the 
United  States  navy,  was  a  native  of 
New  England,  born  at  New  Haven,  Con- 
necticut, May  4,  1808.  He  entered  the 
navy,  as  a  midshipman,  December  4,  1822. 
He  slowly  rose  in  his  chosen  profession,  at- 
taining the  rank  of  lieutenant  in  1830,  com- 
mander in  1852  and  captain  in  1861. 
Among  the  distinguished  men  in  the  break- 
ing out  of  the  Civil  war,  but  few  stood  higher 
in  the  estimation  of  his  brother  officers  than 
Foote,  and  when,  in  the  fall  of  1861,  he 
was  appointed  to  the  command  of  the  flotilla 
then  building  on  the  Mississippi,  the  act 
gave  great  satisfaction  to  the  service. 
Although  embarrassed  by  want  of  navy 
yards  and  supplies,  Foote  threw  himself  into 
his  new  work  with  unusual  energy.  He 
overcame  all  obstacles  and  in  the  new,  and, 
until  that  time,  untried  experiment,  of  creat- 
ing and  maintaining  a  navy  on  a  river, 
achieved  a  success  beyond  the  expectations 
of  the  country.  Great  incredulity  existed  as 
to  the  possibility  of  carrying  on  hostilities 
on  a  river  where  batteries  from  the  shore 
might  bar  the  passage.  But  in  spite  of  all, 
Foote  soon  had  a  navy  on  the  great  river, 
and  by  the  heroic  qualities  of  the  crews  en- 
trusted to  him,  demonstrated  the  utility  of 
this  new  departure  in  naval  architecture. 
All  being  prepared,  February  6,  1862,  Foote 
took  Fort  Henry  after  a  hotly-contested 
action.  On  the  14th  of  the  same  month, 
for  an  hour  and  a  half  engaged  the  batteries 
of  Fort  Donelson,  with  four  ironclads  and 
two  wooden  gunboats,  thereby  dishearten- 
ing the  garrison  and  assisting  in  its  capture. 
April  7th  of  the  same  year,  after  several 
hotly-contested  actions,  Commodore  Foote 
received  the  surrender  of  Island  No.  10,  one 
of  the  great  strongholds  of  the  Confederacy 
on  the  Mississippi  river.  Foote  having  been 
wounded  at  Fort  Donelson,  and  by  neglect 


it  having  become  so  serious  as  to  endanger 
his  life,  he  was  forced  to  resign  his  command 
and  return  home.  June  16,  1862,  he  re- 
ceived the  thanks  of  congress  and  was  pro- 
moted to  the  rank  of  rear  admiral.  He  was 
appointed  chief  of  the  bureau  of  equipment 
and  recruiting.  June  4,  1863,  he  was 
ordered  to  the  fleet  off  Charleston,  to  super- 
cede Rear  Admiral  Dupont,  but  on  his  way 
to  that  destination  was  taken  sick  at  New 
York,  and  died  June  26,  1863. 


NELSON  A.  MILES,  the  well-known  sol- 
dier, was  born  at  Westminster,  Massa- 
chusetts, August  8, 1 839.  His  ancestors  set- 
tled in  that  state  in  1643  among  the  early 
pioneers,  and  their  descendants  were,  many 
of  them,  to  be  found  among  those  battling 
against  Great  Britain  during  Revolutionary 
times  and  during  the  war  of  18 12.  Nelson 
was  reared  on  a  farm,  received  an  academic 
education,  and  in  early  manhood  engaged  in 
mercantile  pursuits    in   Boston.     Early   in 

1 86 1  he  raised  a  company  and  offered  his 
services  to  the  government,  and  although 
commissioned  as  captain,  on  account  of  his 
youth  went  out  as  first  lieutenant  in  the 
Twenty-second  Massachusetts  Infantry.     In 

1862  he  was  commissioned  lieutenant-colonel 
and  colonel  of  the  Sixty-first  New  York  In- 
fantry. At  the  request  of  Generals  Grant 
and  Meade  he  was  made  a  brigadier  by 
President  Lincoln.  He  participated  in  all 
but  one  of  the  battles  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac  until  the  close  of  the  war.  During 
the  latter  part  of  the  time  he  commanded 
the  first  division  of  the  Second  Corps. 
General  Miles  was  wounded  at  the  battles 
of  Fair  Oaks,  Fredericksburg  and  Chan- 
cellorsville,  and  received  four  brevets  for 
distinguished  service.  During  the  recon- 
struction period  he  commanded  in  North 
Carolina,  and  on   the  reorganization  of  the 


COMPENDIUM   OF    BIOGRAPHT. 


177 


regular  army  he  was  made  colonel  of  in- 
fantry. In  1880  he  was  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  brigadier-general,  and  in  1890  to 
that  of  major-general.  He  successfully  con- 
ducted several  campaigns  among  the  In- 
dians, and  his  name  is  known  among  the 
tribes  as  a  friend  when  they  are  peacefully 
inclined.  He  many  times  averted  war 
with  the  red  men  by  judicious  and  humane 
settlement  of  difficulties  without  the  military 
power.  In  1892  General  Miles  was  given 
connnand  of  the  proceedings  in  dedicating 
the  World's  Fair  at  Chicago,  and  m  the 
summer  of  1894,  during  the  great  railroad 
strike  at  the  same  city.  General  Miles,  then 
in  command  of  the  department,  had  the 
disposal  of  the  troops  sent  to  protect  the 
United  States  mails.  On  the  retirement  of 
General  J.  M.  Schofield,  in  1895,  General 
Miles  became  the  ranking  major-general  of 
the  United  States  army  and  the  head  of  its 
forces. 

JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH,  the  great 
<J  actor,  though  born  in  London  (1796),  is 
more  intimately  connected  with  the  Amer- 
ican than  with  the  English  stage,  and  his 
popularity  in  America  was  almost  un- 
bounded, while  in  England  he  was  not  a 
prime  favorite.  He  presented  "  Richard  III. " 
in  Richmond  on  his  first  appearance  on  the 
American  stage  in  1821.  This  was  his 
greatest  role,  and  in  it  he  has  never  had  an 
equal.  In  October  of  the  same  year  he 
appeared  in  New  York.  After  a  long  and 
successful  career  he  gave  his  final  perform- 
ance at  New  Orleans  in  1852.  He  con- 
tracted a  severe  cold,  and  for  lack  of  proper 
medical  attention,  it  resulted  in  his  death 
on  November  30th  of  that  year.  He  was, 
without  question,  one  of  the  greatest  tra- 
gedians that  ever  lived.  In  addition  to  his 
professional   art  and  genius,  he  was  skilled 


in  languages,  drawing,  painting  and  sculp- 
ture. In  his  private  life  he  was  reserved, 
and  even  eccentric.  Strange  stories  are 
related  of  his  peculiarities,  and  on  his  farm 
near  Baltimore  he  forbade  the  use  of  animal 
food,  the  taking  of  animal  life,  and  even  the 
felling  of  trees,  and  brought  his  butter  and 
eggs  to  the  Baltimore  markets  in  person. 

Junius  Brutus  Booth,  known  as  the  elder 
Booth,  gave  to  the  world  three  sons  of  note: 
Junius  Brutus  Booth,  Jr.,  the  husband  of 
Agnes  Booth,  the  actress;  John  Wilkes 
Booth,  the  author  of  the  greatest  tragedy 
in  the  life  of  our  nation;  Edwin  Booth,  in 
his  day  the  greatest  actor  of  America,  if  not 
of  the  world. 

TAMES  MONTGOMERY  BAILEY,  fa- 
<j  nious  as  the  "Danbury  News  Man," 
was  one  of  the  best  known  American  humor- 
ists, and  was  born  September  25,  1841,  at 
Albany,  N.  Y.  He  adopted  journalism  as  a 
profession  and  started  in  his  chosen  work  on 
the  "Danbury  Times,"  which  paper  he  pur- 
chased on  his  return  from  the  war.  Mr. 
Bailey  also  purchased  the  "Jeffersonian," 
another  paper  of  Danbury,  and  consolidated 
them,  forming  the  "Danbury  News,"  which 
paper  soon  acquired  a  celebrity  throughout 
the  United  States,  from  an  incessant  flow  of 
rich,  healthy,  and  original  humor,  which  the 
pen  of  the  editor  imparted  to  its  columns, 
and  he  succeeded  in  raising  the  circulation 
of  the  paper  from  a  few  hundred  copies  a 
week  to  over  forty  thousand.  The  facilities 
of  a  country  printing  office  were  not  so  com- 
plete in  those  days  as  they  are  now,  but  Mr. 
Bailey  was  resourceful,  and  he  put  on  re- 
lays of  help  and  ran  his  presses  night  and 
day,  and  always  prepared  his  matter  a  week 
ahead  of  time.  The  "Danbury  News  Man" 
was  a  new  figure  in  literature,  as  his  humor 
was  so  different  from  that  of  the  newspaper 


178 


COMPENDIUM   OF    BIOGRAPHY. 


wits — who  had  preceded  him,  and  he  maybe 
called  the  pioneer  of  that  school  now  so 
familiar.  Mr.  Bailey  published  in  book 
form  "Life  in  Danbury"  and  "The  Danbury 
News  Man's  Almanac. "  One  of  his  most 
admirable  traits  was  philanthrophy,  as  he 
gave  with  unstinted  generosity  to  all  comers, 
and  died  comparatively  poor,  notwithstand- 
ing his  ownership  of  a  very  profitable  busi- 
ness which  netted  him  an  income  of  $40,000 
a  year.      He  died  March  4,  1894. 


M 


.\TTHEW    HALE    CARPENTER,   a 

famous  lawyer,  orator  and  senator, 
was  born  in  Moretown,  Vermont,  December 
22,  1824.  After  receiving  a  common-school 
education  he  entered  the  United  States 
Military  Academy  at  West  Point,  but  only 
remained  two  years.  On  returning  to  his 
home  he  commenced  the  study  of  law  with 
Paul  Dillingham,  afterwards  governor  of 
Vermont,  and  whose  daughter  he  married. 
In  1847  he  was  admitted  to  practice  at  the 
bar  in  Vermont,  but  he  went  to  Boston  and 
(or  a  time  studied  with  Ruf  us  Choate.  In  1848 
he  moved  west,  settling  at  Beloit,  Wisconsin, 
and  commencing  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion soon  obtained  a  wide  reputation  for 
ability.  In  1856  Mr.  Carpenter  removed  to 
Milwaukee,  where  he  found  a  wider  field  for 
his  now  increasing  powers.  During  the 
Civil  war,  although  a  strong  Democrat,  he 
was  loyal  to  the  government  and  aided  the 
Union  cause  to  his  utmost.  In  1868  he 
was  counsel  for  the  government  in  a  test 
case  to  settle  the  legality  of  the  reconstruc- 
tion act  before  the  United  States  supreme 
court,  and  won  his  case  against  Jeremiah  S. 
Black.  This  gave  him  the  election  for  sen- 
ator from  Wisconsin  in  1869,  and  he  served 
until  1875,  during  part  of  which  time  he  was 
president  pro  tempore  of  the  senate.  Failing 
of  a  re-election  Mr.  Carpenter  resumed  the 


practice  of  law,  and  when  William  W. 
Belknap,  late  secretary  of  war,  was  im- 
peached, entered  the  case  for  General 
Belknap,  and  secured  an  acquittal.  During 
the  sitting  of  the  electoral  commission  of 
1877,  Mr.  Carpenter  appeared  for  Samuel 
J.  Tilden,  although  the  Republican  man- 
agers had  intended  to  have  him  represent 
R.  B.  Hayes.  Mr.  Carpenter  was  elected 
to  the  United  States  senate  again  in  1879, 
and  remained  a  member  of  that  body  until 
the  day  of  his  death,  which  occurred  at 
Washington,  District  of  Columbia,  Feb- 
ruary 24,  iSSi. 

Senator  Carpenter's  real  name  was  De- 
catur Merritt  Hammond  Carpenter  but  about 
1852  he  changed  it  to  the  one  by  which  he 
was  universally  known. 


THOMAS  E.  WATSON,  lawyer  and 
congressman,  the  well-known  Geor- 
gian, whose  name  appears  at  the  head  of 
this  sketch,  made  himself  a  place  in  the  his- 
tory of  our  country  by  his  ability,  energy 
and  fervid  oratory.  He  was  born  in  Col- 
umbia (now  McDuffie)  county,  Georgia, 
September  5,  1856.  He  had  a  common- 
school  education,  and  in  1872  entered  Mer- 
cer University,  at  Macon,  Georgia,  as  fresh- 
man, but  for  want  of  money  left  the  college 
at  the  end  of  his  sophomore  year.  He 
taught  school,  studying  law  at  the  same 
time,  until  1875,  when  he  was  admitted  to 
the  bar.  He  opened  an  office  and  com- 
menced practice  in  Thomson,  Georgia,  in 
November,  1876.  He  carried  on  a  success- 
ful business,  and  bought  land  and  farmed  on 
an  extensive  scale. 

Mr.  Watson  was  a  delegate  to  the  Demo- 
cratic state  convention  of  1880,  and  was  a 
member  of  the  house  of  representatives  of 
the  legislature  of  his  native  state  in  1S82. 
In  1888  he  was   an  elector-at-large  on  the 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


179 


Cleveland  ticket,  and  in  1890  was  elected 
to  represent  his  district  in  the  fifty-second 
congress.  This  latter  election  is  said  to  have 
been  due  entirely  to  Mr.  Watson's  "dash- 
ing display  of  ability,  eloquence  and  popular 
power."  In  his  later  years  he  championed 
the  alliance  principles  and  policies  until  he 
became  a  leader  in  the  movement.  In  the 
heated  campaign  of  1896,  Mr.  Watson  was 
nominated  as  the  candidate  for  vice-presi- 
dent on  the  Bryan  ticket  by  that  part  of  the 
People's  party  that  would  not  endorse  the 
nominee  for  the  same  position  made  by  the 
Democratic  party. 


FREDERICK  A.  P.  BARNARD,  mathe- 
matician, physicist  and  educator,  was 
born  in  Sheffield,  Massachusetts,  May  5, 1809. 
He  graduated  from  Yale  College  in  1828,  and 
in  1830  became  a  tutor  in  the  same.  From 
1837  to  1848  he  was  professor  of  mathe- 
matics and  natural  philosophy  in  the  Uni- 
versity of  Alabama,  and  from  1848  to  1850, 
professor  of  chemistry  and  natural  history 
in  the  same  educational  institution.  In 
1854  he  became  connected  with  the  Univer- 
sity of  Mississippi,  of  which  he  became 
president  in  1856,  and  chancellor  in  1858. 
In  1854  he  took  orders  in  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  church.  In  1861  Professor  Barnard 
resigned  his  chancellorship  and  chair  in  the 
university,  and  in  1863  and  1864  was  con- 
nected with  the  United  States  coast  survey 
in  charge  of  chart  printing  and  lithography. 
In  May,  1864,  he  was  elected  president  of 
Columbia  College,  New  York  City,  which 
he  served  for  a  number  of  years. 

Professor  Barnard  received  the  honorary 
degree  of  LL.  D.  from  Jefferson  College, 
Mississippi,  in  1855,  and  from  Yale  College 
in  1859;  also  the  degree  of  S.  T.  D.  from 
the  University  of  Mississippi  in  1861,  and 
that  of  L.  H.  D.  from   the  regents    of   the 


University  of  the  State  of  New  York  in  1872. 
In  i860  he  was  a  member  of  the  eclipse 
party  sent  by  the  United  States  coast  sur- 
vey to  Labrador,  and  during  his  absence 
was  elected  president  of  the  American  Asso- 
ciation for  the  Advancement  of  Science.  In. 
the  act  of  congress  establishing  the  National 
Academy  of  Sciences  in  1863,  he  was  named 
as  one  of  the  original  corporators.  In  1867 
he  was  one  of  the  United  States  commis- 
sioners to  the  Paris  Exposition.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  American  Philosophical 
Society,  associate  member  of  the  Amer- 
ican Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences,  and 
many  other  philosophical  and  scientific 
societies  at  home  and  abroad.  Dr.  Barnard 
was  thoroughly  identified  with  the  progress 
of  the  age  in  those  branches.  His  published 
works  relate  wholly  to  scientific  or  educa- 
tional subjects,  chief  among  which  are  the 
following:  Report  on  Collegiate  Education; 
Art  Culture;  History  of  the  American  Coast 
Survey;  University  Education;  Undulatory 
Theory  of  Light;  Machinery  and  Processes 
of  the  Industrial  Arts,  and  Apparatus  of  the 
Exact  Sciences,  Metric  System  of  Weights 
and  Measures,  etc. 


EDWIN  McMASTERS  STANTON,  the 
secretary  of  war  during  the  great  Civil 
war,  was  recognized  as  one  of  America's 
foremost  public  men.  He  was  born  Decem- 
ber 19,  1 8 14,  at  Steubenville,  Ohio,  where 
he  received  his  education  and  studied  law. 
He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1836,  and 
was  reporter  of  the  supreme  court  of  Ohio 
from  1842  until  1845.  He  removed  to 
Washington  in  1S56  to  attend  to  his  prac- 
tice before  the  United  States  supreme 
court,  and  in  1858  he  went  to  California  as 
counsel  for  the  government  in  certain  land 
cases,  which  he  carried  to  a  successful 
conclusion.      Mr.    Stanton    was   appointed 


180 


COMPENDIUM  OF  BIOGRAPHY. 


attorney-general  of  the  United  States  in 
December,  iS6o,  by  President  Buchanan. 
On  March  4,  1861,  Mr.  Stanton  went  with 
the  outgoing;  administration  and  returned  to 
the  practice  of  his  profession.  He  was 
appointed  secretary  of  war  by  President 
Lincoln  January  20,  1862,  to  succeed  Simon 
Cameron.  After  the  assassination  of  Presi- 
dent Lincohi  and  the  accession  of  Johnson 
to  the  presidency,  Mr.  Stanton  was  still  in 
the  same  office.  He  held  it  for  three  years, 
and  by  his  strict  adherence  to  the  Repub- 
lican party,  he  antagonized  President  John- 
son, who  endeavored  to  remove  him.  On 
August  5,  1867,  the  president  requested  him 
to  resign,  and  appointed  General  Grant  to 
succeed  him,  but  when  congress  convened 
in  December  the  senate  refused  to  concur  in 
the  suspension.  Mr.  Stanton  returned  to 
his  post  until  the  president  again  removed 
him  from  office,  but  was  again  foiled  by 
congress.  Soon  after,  however,  he  retired 
voluntarily  from  office  and  took  up  the 
practice  of  law,  in  which  he  engaged  until 
his  death,  on  December  24,  1869.    . 


ALEXANDER  CAMPBELL,  the  eminent 
theologian  and  founder  of  the  church 
known  as  Disciples  of  Christ,  was  born  in 
the  country  of  Antrim,  Ireland,  in  June, 
1788,  and  was  the  son  of  Rev.  Thomas 
Campbell,  a  Scoth-Irish  "Seceder. "  After 
studying  at  the  University  of  Glasgow,  he, 
in  company  with  his  father,  came  to  America 
m  1808,  and  both  began  labor  in  western 
Pennsylvania  to  restore  Christianity  to 
apostolic  simplicity.  They  organized  a 
church  at  Brush  Run,  Washington  county, 
Pennsylvania,  in  181 1,  which,  however,  the 
year  following,  adopted  Baptist  views,  and 
in  1S13,  with  other  congregations  joined  a 
Baptist  association.  Some  of  the  under- 
lying principles  and  many  practices    of  the 


Campbells  and  their  disciples  were  repug- 
nant to  the  Baptist  church  and  considerable 
friction  was  the  result,  and  1827  saw  the 
sc-paration  of  that  church  from  the  Church 
of  Christ,  as  it  is  sometimes  called.  The 
latter  then  reorganized  themselves  anew. 
They  reject  all  creeds,  professing  to  receive 
the  Bible  as  their  only  guide.  In  most  mat- 
ters of  faith  they  are  essentially  in  accord  with 
the  other  Evangelical  Christian  churches, 
especially  in  regard  to  the  person  and  work 
of  Christ,  the  resurrection  and  judgment. 
They  celebrate  the  Lord's  Supper  weekly, 
hold  that  repentance  and  faith  should  precede 
baptism,  attaching  much  importance  to  the 
latter  ordinance.  On  all  other  points  they 
encourage  individual  liberty  of  thought.  In 
1 84 1,  Alexander  Campbell  founded  Bethany 
College,  West  Virginia,  of  which  he  was 
president  for  many  years,  and  died  March  4, 
1866. 

The  denomination  which  they  founded 
is  quite  a  large  and  important  church  body 
in  the  United  States.  They  support  quite 
a  number  of  institutions  of  learning,  among 
which  are:  Bethany  College,  West  Virginia; 
Hiram  College,  Hiram,  Ohio;  Northwestern 
Christian  University,  Indianapolis,  Indiana; 
Eureka  College,  Illinois;  Kentucky  Univer- 
sity, Lexington,  Kentucky;  Oskaloosa 
College,  Iowa;  and  a  number  of  seminaries 
and  schools.  They  also  support  several 
monthly  and  quarterly  religious  periodicals 
and  many  papers,  both  in  the  United  States 
and  Great  Britain  and  her  dependencies. 


WILLIAM  L.WILSON,  the  noted  West 
Virginian,  who  was  postmaster-gener- 
al under  President  Cleveland's  second  ad- 
ministration, won  distinction  as  the  father 
of  the  famous  "  Wilson  bill,"  which  became 
a  law  under  the  same  administration.  Mr. 
Wilson  was  born   May  3,    1843,   in  Jeffer- 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


181 


son  county,  West  Virginia,  and  received 
a  good  education  at  the  Charlestown 
Academy,  where  he  prepared  himself  for 
college.  He  attended  the  Columbian  Col- 
lege in  the  District  of  Columbia,  from 
which  he  graduated  in  i860,  and  then 
attended  the  University  of  Virginia.  Mr. 
Wilson  served  in  the  Confederate  army  dur- 
ing the  war,  after  which  he  was  a  professor 
in  Columbian  College.  Later  he  entered 
into  the  practice  of  law  at  Charlestown. 
He  attended  the  Democratic  convention 
held  at  Cincinnati  in  1880,  as  a  delegate, 
and  later  was  chosen  as  one  of  the  electors 
for  the  state-at-large  on  the  Hancock 
ticket.  In  the  Democratic  convention  at 
Chicago  in  1892,  Mr.  Wilson  was  its  per- 
manent president.  He  was  elected  pres- 
ident of  the  West  Virginia  University  in 
1882,  entering  upon  the  duties  of  his  office 
on  September  6,  but  having  received  the 
nomination  for  the  forty-seventh  congress 
on  the  Democratic  ticket,  he  resigned  the 
presidency  of  the  university  in  June,  1883, 
to  take  his  seat  in  congress.  Mr.  Wil- 
son was  honored  by  the  Columbian  Uni- 
versity and  the  Hampden-Sidney  College, 
both  of  which  conferred  upon  him  the  de- 
gree of  LL.  D.  In  1884  he  was  appointed 
regent  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution  at 
Washington  for  two  years,  and  at  the  end 
of  his  term  was  re-appointed.  He  was 
elected  to  the  forty-seventh,  forty-ninth, 
fiftieth,  fifty-first,  fifty-second  and  fifty- 
third  congresses,  but  was  defeated  for  re- 
election to  the  fifty-fourth  congress.  Upon 
the  resignation  of  Mr.  Bissell  from  the  office 
of  postmaster- general,  Mr.  Wilson  was  ap- 
pointed to  fill  the  vacancy  by  President 
Cleveland.  His  many  years  of  public  serv- 
ice and  the  prominent  part  he  took  in  the 
discussion  of  public  questions  gave  him  a 
national  reputation. 


CALVIN  S.  BRICE,  a  successful  and 
noted  financier  and  politician,  was 
born  at  Denmark,  Ohio,  September  17, 
1845,  of  an  old  Maryland  family,  who  trace 
their  lineage  from  the  Bryces,  or  Bruces,  of 
Airth,  Scotland.  The  father  of  our  subject 
was  a  prominent  Presbyterian  clergyman, 
who  removed  to  Ohio  in  1812.  Calvin  S. 
Brice  was  educated  in  the  common  schools 
of  his  native  town,  and  at  the  age  of  thir- 
teen entered  the  preparatory  department  of 
Miami  University  at  Oxford,  Ohio,  and  the 
following  year  entered  the  freshman  class. 
On  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war, 
although  but  fifteen  years  old,  he  enlisted  in 
a  company  of  three-months  men.  He  re- 
turned to  complete  his  college  course,  but 
re-enlisted  in  Company  A,  Eighty-si.xth 
Ohio  Infantry,  and  served  in  the  Virginia 
campaign.  He  then  returned  to  college, 
from  which  he  graduated  in  1863.  In  1864 
he  organized  Company  E,  One  Hundred 
and  Eightieth  Ohio  Infantry,  and  served 
until  the  close  of  hostilities,  in  the  western 
armies. 

On  his  return  home  Mr.  Brice  entered 
the  law  department  of  the  University  of 
Michigan,  and  in  1866  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  Cincinnati.  In  the  winter  of  1870- 
71  he  went  to  Europe  in  the  interests  of  the 
Lake  Erie  &  Louisville  Railroad  and  pro- 
cured a  foreign  loan.  This  road  became 
the  Lake  Erie  &  Western,  of  which,  in 
1887,  Mr.  Brice  became  president.  This 
was  the  first  railroad  in  which  he  had  a 
personal  interest.  The  conception,  build- 
ing and  sale  of  the  New  York,  Chicago  & 
St.  Louis  Railroad,  known  as  the  "Nickel 
Plate,"  was  largely  due  to  him.  He  was 
connected  with  many  other  railroads,  among 
which  may  be  mentioned  the  following: 
Chicago  &  Atlantic;  Ohio  Central;  Rich- 
mond &  Danville;  Richmond  &  West  Point 


182 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


Terminal;  East  Tennessee,  Virginia  & 
Georgia;  Memphis  &  Charleston;  Mobile  & 
Birmingham;  Kentucky  Central;  Duluth, 
South  Shore  &  Atlantic,  and  the  Marquette, 
Houghton  &  Ontonagon.  In  1890  he  was 
elected  United  States  senator  from  Ohio. 
Notwithstanding  his  extensive  business  inter- 
ests, Senator  Brice  gave  a  considerable 
time  to  political  matters,  becoming  one  of 
the  leaders  of  the  Democratic  party  and  one 
of  the  most  widely  known  men  in  the 
country. 

BENJAMIN  HARRISON,  twenty-third 
president  of  the  United  States,  was 
born  August  20,  1833,  at  North  Bend, 
Hamilton  county,  Ohio,  in  the  house  of  his 
grandfather,  General  William  Henry  Har- 
rison, afterwards  president  of  the  United 
States.  His  great-grandfather,  Benjamin 
Harrison,  was  a  member  of  the  Continental 
congress,  signed  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence, and  was  three  times  elected  gov- 
ernor of  Virginia. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  entered  Farm- 
ers College  at  an  early  age,  and  two  years 
later  entered  Miami  University,  at  Oxford, 
Ohio.  Upon  graduation  he  entered  the 
office  of  Stover  &  Gwyne,  of  Cincinnati,  as  a 
law  student.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
two  years  later,  and  having  inherited  about 
eight  hundred  dollars  worth  of  property,  he 
married  the  daughter  of  Doctor  Scott,  pres- 
ident of  a  female  school  at  Oxford,  Ohio, 
and  selected  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  to  begin 
practice.  In  i860  he  was  nominated  by 
the  Republicans  as  candidate  for  state 
supreme  court  reporter,  and  did  his  first 
political  speaking  in  that  campaign.  He 
was  elected,  and  after  two  years  in  that 
position  he  organized  the  Seventieth  Indi- 
ana Infantry,  of  which  he  was  made  colonel, 
and  with  his  regiment  joined  General  Sher- 


man's army.  For  bravery  displayed  at  Re- 
saca  and  Peach  Tree  Creek  he  was  made  a 
brigadier-general.  In  the  meantime  the 
office  of  supreme  court  reporter  had  been 
declared  vacant,  and  another  party  elected 
to  fill  it.  In  the  fall  of  1864,  having  been 
nominated  for  that  office,  General  Harrison 
obtained  a  thirty-day  leave  of  absence,  went 
to  Indiana,  canvassed  the  state  and  was 
elected.  As  he  was  about  to  rejoin  his 
command  he  was  stricken  down  by  an  attack 
of  fever.  After  his  recovery  he  joined 
General  Sherman's  army  and  participated  in 
the  closing  events  of  the  war. 

In  1868  General  Harrison  declined  to 
be  a  candidate  for  the  office  of  supreme 
court  reporter,  and  returned  to  the  practice 
of  the  law.  His  brilliant  campaign  for  the 
office  of  governor  of  Indiana  in  1876, 
brought  him  into  public  notice,  although  he 
was  defeated.  He  took  a  prominent  part 
in  the  presidential  canvass  of  1880,  and  was 
chosen  United  States  senator  from  Indiana, 
serving  six  years.  He  then  returned  to  the 
practice  of  his  profession.  In  1888  he  was 
selected  by  the  Republican  convention  at 
Chicago  as  candidate  for  the  presidency,  and 
after  a  heated  campaign  was  elected  over 
Cleveland.  He  was  inaugurated  March  4, 
1889,  and  signed  the  McKiuley  bill  October 
I,  1890,  perhaps  the  most  distinctive  feature 
of  his  administration.  In  1892  he  was 
again  the  nominee  of  the  Republican  party 
for  president,  but  was  defeated  by  Grover 
Cleveland,  the  Democratic  candidate,  and 
again  resumed  the  practice  of  law  in  Indian- 
apolis. 

JOHN  CRAIG  HAVEMEYER,  the 
celebrated  merchant  and  sugar  refiner, 
was  born  in  New  York  City  in  1833.  His 
father,  William  F.  Havemeyer,  and  grand- 
father, William  Havemeyer,  were  both  sugar 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


183 


refiners.  The  latter  named  came  from 
Buckeburg,  Germany,  in  1799,  and  settled 
in  New  York,  establishing  one  of  the  first 
refineries  in  that  city.  William  F.  succeeded 
his  father,  and  at  an  early  age  retired  from 
business  with  a  competency.  He  was  three 
times  mayor  of  his  native  city.  New  York. 
John  C.  Havemeyer  was  educated  in 
private  schools,  and  was  prepared  for  college 
at  Columbia  College  grammar  school. 
Owing  to  failing  eyesight  he  was  unable  to 
finish  his  college  course,  and  began  his 
business  career  in  a  wholesale  grocery  store, 
where  he  remained  two  years.  In  1854, 
after  a  year's  travel  abroad,  he  assumed  the 
responsibility  of  the  office  work  in  the  sugar 
refinery  of  Havemeyer  &  Molter,  but  two 
years  later  etablished  a  refinery  of  his  own 
in  Brooklyn.  This  afterwards  developed  into 
the  immense  business  of  Havemeyer  &  Elder. 
The  capital  was  furnished  by  his  father, 
and,  chafing  under  the  anxiety  caused  by  the 
use  of  borrowed  money,  he  sold  out  his 
interest  and  returned  to  Havemeyer  & 
Molter.  This  firm  dissolving  the  next  year, 
John  C.  declined  an  offer  of  partnership 
from  the  successors,  not  wishing  to  use 
borrowed  money.  For  two  years  he  remain- 
ed with  the  house,  receiving  a  share  of  the 
profits  as  compensation.  For  some  years 
thereafter  he  was  engaged  in  the  commission 
business,  until  failing  health  caused  his 
retirement.  In  1871,  he  again  engaged  in 
the  sugar  refining  business  at  Greenport, 
Long  Island,  with  his  brother  and  another 
partner,  under  the  firm  name  of  Havemeyer 
Brothers  &  Co.  Here  he  remained  until 
1880,  when  his  health  again  declined. 
During  the  greater  part  of  his  life  Mr. 
Havemeyer  was  identified  with  many  benev- 
olent societies,  including  the  New  York 
Port  Society,  Missionary  Society  of  the 
Methodist  Church,  American  Bible  Society, 


New  York  Sabbath  School  Society  and 
others.  He  was  active  in  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association  work  in  New  York, 
and  organized  and  was  the  first  president  of 
an  affiliated  society  of  the  same  at  Yonkers. 
He  was  director  of  several  railroad  corpo- 
rations and  a  trustee  of  the  Continental  Trust 
Company  of  New  York. 


WALTER  QUINTIN  GRESHAM,  an 
eminent  American  statesman  and 
jurist,  was  born  March  17,  1833,  near  Cory- 
don,  Harrison  county,  Indiana.  He  ac- 
quired his  education  m  the  local  schools  of 
the  county  and  at  Bloomington  Academy, 
akhough  he  did  not  graduate.  After  leav- 
ing college  he  read  law  with  Judg«  Porter 
at  Corydon,  and  just  before  the  war  he  be- 
gan to  take  an  interest  in  politics.  Mr. 
Gresham  was  elected  to  the  legislature  from 
Harrison  county  as  a  Republican;  previous 
to  this  the  district  had  been  represented  by 
a  Democrat.  At  the  commencement  of 
hostilities  he  was  made  lieutenant-colonel  of 
the  Thirty-eighth  Indiana  Infantry,  but 
served  in  that  regiment  only  a  short  time, 
when  he  was  appointed  colonel  of  the  Fifty- 
third  Indiana,  and  served  under  General 
Grant  at  the  siege  of  Vicksburg  as  brigadier- 
general.  Later  he  was  under  Sherman  in 
the  famous  "March  to  the  Sea,"  and  com- 
manded a  division  of  Blair's  corps  at  the 
siege  of  Atlanta  where  he  was  so  badly 
wounded  in  the  leg  that  he  was  compelled 
to  return  home.  On  his  way  home  he  was 
forced  to  stop  at  New  Albany,  where  he  re- 
mained a  year  before  he  was  able  to  leave. 
Pie  was  brevetted  major-general  at  the  close 
of  the  war.  While  at  New  Albany,  Mr. 
Gresham  was  appointed  state  agent,  his 
duty  being  to  pay  the  interest  on  the  state 
debt  in  New  York,  and  he  ran  twice  for 
congress    against  ex-Speaker  Kerr,  but  was 


184 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


defeated  in  both  cases,  although  he  greatly 
reduced  the  Ucniocratic  majority.  He  was 
held  in  high  esteem  by  President  Grant, 
who  offered  him  the  portfolio  of  the  interior 
but  Mr.  Grcsliam  declined,  but  accepted 
the  appointment  of  United  States  judge  for 
Indiana  to  succeed  David  McDonald. 
Judge  Gresham  served  on  the  United  States 
district  court  bench  until  1883,  when  he 
was  appointed  postmaster-general  by  Presi- 
dent Arthur,  but  held  that  office  only  a  few 
months  when  he  was  made  secretary  of  the 
treasury.  Near  the  end  of  President 
Arthur's  term.  Judge  Gresham  was  ap- 
pointed judge  of  the  United  States  circuit 
court  of  the  district  composed  of  Indiana, 
Illinois  and  contiguous  states,  which  he  held 
until  1893.  Judge  Gresham  was  one  of  the 
presidential  possibilities  in  the  National  Re- 
publican convention  in  1888,  when  General 
Harrison  was  nominated,  and  was  also  men- 
tioned for  president  in  1892.  Later  the 
People's  party  made  a  strenuous  effort  to 
induce  him  to  become  their  candidate  for 
president,  he  refusing  the  offer,  however, 
and  a  few  weeks  before  the  election  he  an- 
nounced that  he  would  support  Mr.  Cleve- 
land, the  Democratic  nominee  for  president. 
Upon  the  election  of  Mr.  Cleveland  in  the 
fall  of  1892,  Judge  Gresham  was  made  the 
secretary  of  state,  and  filled  that  position 
until  his  death  on  May  28,  1895,  at  Wash- 
ington, District  of  Columbia. 


ELISHA  B.  ANDREWS,  noted  as  an  ed- 
ucator and  college  president,  was  born 
at  Hinsdale,  New  Hampshire,  January  10, 
1844,  his  father  and  mother  being  Erastus 
and  Elmira  (Bartlett)  Andrews.  In  1S61, 
he  entered  the  service  of  the  general  gov- 
ernment as  private  and  non-commissioned 
officer  in  the  First  Connecticut  Heavy  Ar- 
tillery,  and  in    1863   was  promoted  to  the 


rank  of  second  lieutenant.  Returning  home 
he  was  prepared  for  college  at  Powers  In- 
stitute and  at  the  Wesleyan  Academy,  and 
entered  Brown  University.  From  here  he 
was  graduated  in  1870.  For  the  succeeding 
two  years  he  was  principal  of  the  Connecti- 
cut Literary  Institute  at  Suffield,  Connecticut. 
Completing  a  course  at  the  Newton  Theo- 
logical Institute,  he  was  ordained  pastor  of 
the  First  Baptist  church  at  Beverly,  Massa- 
chusetts, July  2,  1874.  The  following 
year  he  became  president  of  the  Denison 
University,  at  Granville,  Ohio.  In  1879 
he  accepted  the  professorship  of  homiietics, 
pastoral  duties  and  church  polity  at  Newton 
Theological  Institute.  In  1882  he  was 
elected  to  the  chair  of  history  and  political 
economy  at  Brown  University.  The  Uni- 
versity of  Nebraska  honored  him  with  an 
LL.  D.  in  1884,  and  the  same  year  Colby 
University  conferred  the  degree  of  D.  D. 
In  1888  he  became  professor  of  political 
economy  and  public  economy  at  Cornell 
University,  but  the  next  year  returned  to 
Brown  University  as  its  president.  From 
the  time  of  his  inauguration  the  college  work 
broadened  in  many  ways.  Many  timely 
and  generous  donations  from  friends  and 
alumni  of  the  college  were  influenced  by 
him,  and  large  additions  made  to  the  same. 
Professor  Andrews  published,  in  1887, 
"  Institutes  of  General  History,"  and  in 
1888,  "  Institutes  of  Economics." 


JOHN  WILLIAM  DRAPER,  the  subject 
of  the  present  biography,  was,  during  his 
life,  one  of  the  most  distinguished  chemists 
and  scientific  writers  in  America.  He  was 
an  Englishman  by  birth,  born  at  Liverpool. 
May  5,  i8ii,  and  was  reared  in  his  native 
land,  receiving  an  excellent  education, 
graduating  at  the  University  of  London.  In 
1833   he  came   to   the  United    States,  and 


THE 

NfW  YORK 

'  PUBLIC  LlBP4Dyi 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPIIT. 


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settled  first  in  Pennsylvania.  He  graduated 
in  medicine  at  the  University  of  Philadel- 
phia, in  1836,  and  for  three  years  following 
was  professor  of  chemistry  and  physiology 
at  Hampden-Sidney  College.  He  then  be- 
came professor  of  chemistry  in  the  New  York 
University,  with  which  institution  he  was 
prominently  connected  for  many  years.  It 
is  stated  on  excellent  authority  that  Pro- 
fessor Draper,  in  1S39,  took  the  first  photo- 
graphic picture  ever  taken  from  life.  He 
was  a  great  student,  and  carried  on  many 
important  and  intricate  experiments  along 
scientific  lines.  He  discovered  many  of  the 
fundamental  facts  of  spectrum  analysis, 
which  he  published.  He  published  a  number 
of  works  of  great  merit,  many  of  which  are 
recognized  as  authority  upon  the  subjects  of 
which  they  treat.  Among  his  work  were: 
"Human  Physiology,  Statistical  and  Dyna- 
mical of  the  Conditions  and  Cause  of  Life 
in  Man,"  "History  of  Intellectual  Develop- 
ment of  Europe,"  "  History  of  the  Ameri- 
can Civil  War,"  besides  a  number  of  works 
on  chemistry,  optics  and  mathematics.  Pro- 
fessor Draper  continued  to  hold  a  high  place 
among  the  scientific  scholars  of  America 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  January, 
1882.  

GEORGE  W.  PECK,  ex-governor  of 
the  state  of  Wisconsin  and  a  famous 
journalist  and  humorist,  was  born  in  Jeffer- 
son county.  New  York,  September  28,  1S40. 
When  he  was  about  three  years  of  age  his 
parents  removed  to  Wisconsin,  settling  near 
Whitewater,  where  young  Peck  received  his 
education  at  the  public  schools.  At  fifteen 
he  entered  the  office  of  the  "Whitewater 
Register, "  where  he  learned  the  printer's 
art.  He  helped  start  the  "Jefferson  County 
Republican"     later    on,    but    sold    out    his 

interest  therein  and  set  type  in  the  office  of 
11 


the  "State  Journal,"  at  Madison.  At  the 
outbreak  of  the  war  he  enlisted  in  the 
Fourth  Wisconsin  Cavalry  as  a  private,  and 
after  serving  four  years  returned  a  second 
lieutenant.  He  then  started  the  "  Ripon 
Representative,"  which  he  sold  not  long 
after,  and  removing  to  New  York,  was  on 
the  staff  of  Mark  Pomeroy's  "Democrat." 
Going  to  La  Crosse,  later,  he  conducted  the 
La  Crosse  branch  paper,  a  half  interest  in 
which  he  bought  in  1874.  He  next  started 
"Peck's  Sun,"  which  four  years  later  he 
removed  to  Milwaukee.  While  in  La 
Crosse  he  was  chief  of  police  one  year,  and 
also  chief  clerk  of  the  Democratic  assembly 
in  1874.  It  was  in  1878  that  Mr.  Peck 
took  his  paper  to  Milwaukee,  and  achieved 
his  first  permanent  success,  the  circulation 
increasing  to  80,000.  For  ten  years  he  was 
regarded  as  one  of  the  most  original,  versa- 
tile and  entertaining  writers  in  the  country, 
and  he  has  delineated  every  phase  of 
country  newspaper  life,  army  life,  domestic 
experience,  travel  and  city  adventure.  Up 
to  1890  Mr.  Peck  took  but  little  part  in 
politics,  but  in  that  year  was  elected  mayor 
of  Milwaukee  on  the  Democratic  ticket. 
The  following  August  he  was  elected  gov- 
ernor of  Wisconsin  by  a  large  majority, 
the  "Bennett  School  Bill"  figuring  to  a 
large  extent  in  his  favor. 

Mr.  Peck,  besides  many  newspaper  arti- 
cles in  his  peculiar  vein  and  numerous  lect- 
ures, bubbling  over  with  fun,  is  known  to 
fame  by  the  following  books:  "Peck's  Bad 
Boy  and  his  Pa,"  and  "The  Grocery  Man 
and  Peck's  Bad  Boy." 


CHARLES  O'CONOR,  who  was  for 
many  years  the  acknowledged  leader 
of  the  legal  profession  of  New  York  City, 
was  also  conceded  to  be  one  of  the  greatest 
lawyers   America   has  produced.      He  was 


188 


COMTENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHl'. 


born  in  New  York  City  in  1804,  his  father 
being  an  educated  Irish  gentleman.  Charles 
received  a  common-school  education,  and 
early  took  up  the  study  of  law,  being  ad- 
mitted to  practice  in  1824.  His  close  ap- 
plication and  untiring  energy  and  industry 
soon  placed  him  in  the  front  rank  of  the 
profession,  and  within  a  few  years  he  was 
handling  many  of  the  most  important  cases. 
One  of  the  first  great  cases  he  had  and  which 
gained  him  a  wide  reputation,  was  that  of 
"Jack,  the  Fugitive  Slave,"  in  1835,  in  which 
his  masterful  argument  before  the  supreme 
court  attracted  wide  attention  and  com- 
ment. Charles  O'Conor  was  a  Democrat 
all  his  life.  He  did  not  aspire  to  office- 
holding,  however,  and  never  held  any  office 
except  that  of  district  attorney  under  Presi- 
dent Pierce's  administration,  which  he  only 
retained  a  short  time.  He  took  an  active 
interest,  however,  in  public  questions,  and 
was  a  member  of  the  state  (New  York)  con- 
stitutional convention  in  1864.  In  1868  he 
was  nominated  for  the  presidency  by  the 
"  Extreme  Democrats."  His  death  occurred 
in  May,  1884. 

SIMON  BOLIVAR  BUCKNER,  a  noted 
American  officer  and  major-general  in 
the  Confederate  army,  was  born  in  Ken- 
tucky in  1823.  He  graduated  from  West 
Point  Military  Academy  in  1844,  served  in 
the  United  States  infantry  and  was  later  as- 
signed to  commissary  duty  with  the  rank  of 
captain.  He  served  several  years  at  fron- 
tier posts,  and  was  assistant  professor  in  the 
military  academy  in  1846.  He  was  with 
General  Scott  in  the  Mexican  war,  and  en- 
gaged in  all  the  battles  from  Vera  Cruz  to 
the  capture  of  the  Mexican  capital.  He 
was  wounded  at  Cherubusco  and  brevetted 
first  lieutenant,  and  at  Molino  del  Rey  was 
brevetted  captain.     After  the  close   of  the 


Mexican  war  he  returned  to  West  Point  as 
assistant  instructor,  and  was  then  assigned 
to  commissary  duty  at  New  York.  He  re- 
signed in  1855  and  became  superintendent 
of  construction  of  the  Chicago  custom  house. 
He  was  made  adjutant-general,  with  the 
rank  of  colonel,  of  Illinois  militia,  and  was 
colonel  of  Illinois  volunteers  raised  for  the 
Utah  expedition,  but  was  not  mustered  into 
service.  In  i860  he  removed  to  Kentucky, 
where  he  settled  on  a  farm  near  Louisville 
and  became  inspector-general  in  command 
of  the  Kentucky  Home  Guards.  At  the 
opening  of  the  Civil  war  he  joined  the  Con- 
federate army,  and  was  given  command  at 
Bowling  Green,  Kentucky,  which  he  was 
compelled  to  abandon  after  the  capture  of 
Fort  Henry.  He  then  retired  to  Fort  Don- 
elson,  and  was  there  captured  with  sixteen 
thousand  men,  and  an  immense  store  of  pro- 
visions, by  General  Grant,  in  February, 
1862.  He  was  held  as  a  prisoner  of  war 
at  Fort  Warren  until  August  of  that  year. 
He  commanded  a  division  of  Hardee's  corps 
in  Bragg's  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  and  was 
afterward  assigned  to  the  third  division  and 
participated  in  the  battles  of  Chickamauga, 
and  Murfreesboro.  He  was  with  Kirby 
Smith  when  that  general  surrendered  his 
army  to  General  Canby  in  May,  1865.  He 
was  an  unsuccessful  candidate  for  the  vice- 
presidency  on  the  Gold  Democratic  ticket 
with  Senator  John  M.  Palmer  in  1896. 


SIMON  KENTON,  one  of  the  famous  pio- 
neers and  scouts  whose  names  fill  the 
pages  of  the  early  history  of  our  country, 
was  born  in  Fauquier  county,  Virginia, 
Aprils,  1755-  In  consequence  of  an  affray, 
at  the  age  of  eighteen,  young  Kenton  went 
to  Kentucky,  then  the  "Dark  and  Bloody 
Ground,"  and  became  associated  with  Dan- 
iel Boone  and  other  pioneers  of  that  region. 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


1.89 


For  a  short  time  he  acted  as  a  scout  and 
spy  for  Lord  Dunmore,  the  British  governor 
of  Virginia,  but  afterward  taking  the  side 
of  the  struggling  colonists,  participated  in 
the  war  for  independence  west  of  the  Alle- 
ghanies.  In  1784  he  returned  to  Virginia, 
but  did  not  remain  there  long,  going  back 
with  his  family  to  Iventucky.  From 
that  time  until  1793  he  participated  in  all 
the  combats  and  battles  of  that  time,  and 
until  "Mad  Anthony"  Wayne  swept  the 
Valley  of  the  Ohio,  and  settled  the  suprem- 
acy of  the  whites  in  that  region.  Kenton 
laid  claim  to  large  tracts  of  land  in  the  new 
country  he  had  helped  to  open  up,  but 
through  ignorance  of  law,  and  the  growing 
value  of  the  land,  lost  it  all  and  was  reduced 
to  poverty.  During  the  war  with  England 
in  1812-15,  Kenton  took  part  in  the  inva- 
sion of  Canada  with  the  Kentucky  troops 
and  participated  in  the  battle  of  the  Thames. 
He  finally  had  land  granted  him  by  the 
legislature  of  I\entucky,  and  received  a  pen- 
sion from  the  United  States  government. 
He  died  in  Logan  county,  Ohio,  April  29, 
1836.  

ELIHU  BENJAMIN  WASHBURNE,  an 
American  statesman  of  eminence,  was 
born  in  Livermore,  Maine,  September  23, 
1 8 16.  He  learned  the  trade  of  printer,  but 
abandoned  that  calling  at  the  age  of  eight- 
een and  entered  the  Kent's  Hill  Academy  at 
Reading,  Maine,  and  then  took  up  the  study 
of  law,  reading  in  Hallowell,  Boston,  and  at 
the  Harvard  Law  School.  He  began  prac- 
tice at  Galena,  Illinois,  in  1840.  He  was 
elected  to  congress  in  1852,  and  represented 
his  district  in  that  body  continuously  until 
March,  1869,  and  at  the  time  of  his  retire- 
ment he  had  served  a  greater  number  of 
consecutive  terms  than  any  other  member 
of  the  house.      In  1873  President  Grant  ap- 


pointed him  secretary  of  state,  which  posi- 
tion he  resigned  to  accept  that  of  minister 
to  France.  During  the  Franco-Prussian 
war,  including  the  siege  of  Paris  and  the 
reign  of  the  Commune,  Mr.  Washburne  re- 
mained at  his  post,  protecting  the  lives  and 
property  of  his  countrymen,  as  well  as  that 
of  other  foreign  residents  in  Paris,  while  the 
ministers  of  all  other  powers  abandoned 
their  posts  at  a  time  when  they  were  most 
needed.  As  far  as  possible  he  extended 
protection  to  unfortunate  German  residents, 
who  were  the  particular  objects  of  hatred  of 
the  populace,  and  his  firmness  and  the  suc- 
cess which  attended  his  efforts  won  the  ad- 
miration of  all  Europe.  Mr.  Washburne 
died  at  Chicago,  Illinois,  October  22,  1887. 


WILLIAM  CRAMP,  one  of  the  most 
extensive  shipbuilders  of  this  coun- 
try, was  born  in  Ivensington,  then  a  suburb, 
now  a  part  of  Philadelphia,  in  1806.  He 
received  a  thorough  English  education,  and 
when  he  left  school  was  associated  with 
Samuel  Grice,  one  of  the  most  eminent 
naval  architects  of  his  day.  In  1S30,  hav- 
ing mastered  all  the  details  of  shipbuilding, 
Mr.  Cramp  engaged  in  business  on  his  own 
account.  By  reason  of  ability  and  excel- 
lent work  he  prospered  from  the  start,  until 
now,  in  the  hands  of  his  sons,  under  the 
name  of  William  Cramp  &  Sons'  Ship  and 
Engine  Building  Company,  it  has  become  the 
most  complete  shipbuilding  plant  and  naval 
arsenal  in  the  western  hemisphere,  and  fully 
equal  to  any  in  the  world.  As  Mr.  Cramp's 
sons  attained  manhood  they  learned  their 
father's  profession,  and  were  admitted  to  a 
partnership.  In  1S72  the  firm  was  incor- 
porated under  the  title  given  above.  Until 
i860  wood  was  used  in  building  vessels,  al- 
though pace  was  kept  with  all  advances  in 
the  art  of  shipbuilding.     At  the  opening  of 


100 


COMrENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPI/r. 


the  war  came  an  unexpected  demand  for 
war  vessels,  which  they  promptly  met.  The 
sea-going  ironclad  "New  Ironsides"  was 
built  by  them  in  1862,  followed  by  a  num- 
ber of  formidable  ironclads  and  the  cruiser 
"Chattanooga."  They  subsequently  built 
several  war  vessels  for  the  Russian  and 
other  governments  which  added  to  their 
reputation.  When  the  American  steamship 
line  was  established  in  1870,  the  Cramps 
were  commissioned  to  build  for  it  four  first- 
class  iron  steamships,  the  "  Pennsylvania," 
"Ohio,"  "Indiana"  and  "  Illinois,"  which 
they  turned  out  in  rapid  order,  some  of  the 
finest  specimens  of  the  naval  architecture  of 
their  day.  William  Cramp  remained  at  the 
head  of  the  great  company  he  had  founded 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  January  6, 

1879. 

Charles  H.  Cramp,  the  successor  of  his 
father  as  head  of  the  William  Cramp  & 
Sons'  Ship  and  Engine  Building  Company, 
was  born  in  Philadelphia  May  9,  1829,  and 
received  an  excellent  education  in  his  native 
city,  which  he  sedulously  sought  to  sup- 
plement by  close  study  until  he  became 
an  authority  on  general  subjects  and  the 
best  naval  architect  on  the  western  hemis- 
phere. Many  of  the  best  vessels  of  our 
new  navy  were  built  by  this  immense  con- 
cern. 

WASHINGTON  ALLSTON,  probably 
the  greatest  American  painter,  was 
born  in  South  Carolina  in  1779.  He  was 
sent  to  school  at  the  age  of  seven  years  at 
Newport,  Rhode  Island,  where  he  met  Ed- 
ward Malbone,  two  years  his  senior,  and 
who  later  became  a  painter  of  note.  The 
friendship  that  sprang  up  between  them  un- 
doubtedly influenced  young  Allston  in  the 
choice  of  a  profession.  He  graduated  from 
Harvard   in   1800,  and  went  to  England  the 


following  year,  after  pursuing  his  studies  for 
a  year  under  his  friend  Malbone  at  his  home 
in  South  Carolina.  He  became  a  student 
at  the  Royal  Academy  where  the  great 
American,  Benjamin  West,  presided,  and 
who  became  his  intimate  friend.  Allston 
later  went  to  Paris,  and  then  to  Italy,  where 
four  years  were  spent,  mostly  at  Rome.  In 
1809  he  returned  to  America,  but  soon  after 
returned  to  London,  having  married  in  the 
meantime  a  sister  of  Dr.  Channing.  In 
a  short  time  his  first  great  work  appeared, 
"The  Dead  Man  Restored  to  Life  by  the 
Bones  of  Elisha,"  which  took  the  British 
Association  prize  and  firmly  established  his 
reputation.  Other  paintings  followed  in 
quick  succession,  the  greatest  among  which 
were  "Uriel  in  the  Center  of  the  Sun," 
"Saint  Peter  Liberated  by  the  Angel,"  and 
"Jacob's  Dream,"  supplemented  by  many 
smaller  pieces.  Hard  work,  and  grief  at  the 
death  of  his  wife  began  to  tell  upon  his  health, 
and  he  left  London  in  1818  for  America. 
The  same  year  he  was  elected  an  associate 
of  the  Royal  Academy.  During  the  ne.xt 
few  years  he  painted  "Jeremiah,"  "Witch 
ofEndor,"  and  "Beatrice."  In  1830  Alls- 
ton  married  a  daughter  of  Judge  Dana,  and 
went  to  Cambridge,  which  was  his  home 
until  his  death.  Here  he  produced  the 
"Vision  of  the  Bloody  Hand,"  "Rosalie," 
and  many  less  noted  pieces,  and  had  given 
one  week  of  labor  to  his  unfinished  master- 
piece, "Belshazzar's  Feast,"  when  death 
ended  his  career  July  9,  1843. 


JOHN  ROACH,  ship  builder  and  manu- 
facturer, whose  career  was  a  marvel  of 
industrial  labor,  and  who  impressed  his  in- 
dividuality and  genius  upon  the  times  in 
which  he  lived  more,  perhaps,  than  any 
other  manufacturer  in  America.  He  was 
born    at    Mitchelstown,    County  Cork,   Ire- 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


191 


land,  December  25,  1815,  the  son  of  a 
wealthy  merchant.  He  attended  school 
until  he  was  thirteen,  when  his  father  be- 
came financially  embarrassed  and  failed 
and  shortly  after  died;  John  determined  to 
come  to  America  and  carve  out  a  fortune 
for  himself.  He  landed  in  New  York  at  the 
age  of  sixteen,  and  soon  obtained  employ- 
ment at  the  Howell  Iron  Works  in  New  Jer- 
sey, at  twenty-five  cents  a  day.  He  soon 
made  himself  a  place  in  the  world,  and  at 
the  end  of  three  years  had  saved  some 
twelve  hundred  dollars,  which  he  lost  by 
the  failure  of  his  employer,  in  whose  hands 
it  was  left.  Returning  to  New  York  he 
began  to  learn  how  to  make  castings  for 
marine  engines  and  ship  work.  Having 
again  accumulated  one  thousand  dollars,  in 
company  with  three  fellow  workmen,  he 
purchased  a  small  foundry  in  New  York, 
but  soon  became  sole  proprietor.  At  the 
end  of  four  years  he  had  saved  thirty  thou- 
sand dollars,  besides  enlarging  his  works. 
In  1856  his  works  were  destroyed  by  a 
boiler  explosion,  and  being  unable  to  collect 
the  insurance,  was  left,  after  paying  his 
debts,  without  a  dollar.  However,  his 
credit  and  reputation  for  integrity  was  good, 
and  he  built  the  Etna  Iron  Works,  giving  it 
capacity  to  construct  larger  marine  engines 
than  any  previously  built  in  this  country. 
Here  he  turned  out  immense  engines  for 
the  steam  ram  Dunderberg,  for  the  war  ves- 
sels Winooski  and  Neshaning,  and  other 
large  vessels.  To  accommodate  his  increas- 
ing business,  Mr.  Roach,  in  1869,  pur- 
chased the  Morgan  Iron  Works,  one  of  the 
largest  in  New  York,  and  shortly  after  sev- 
eral others.  In  1871  he  bought  the  Ches- 
ter ship  yards,  which  he  added  to  largely, 
erecting  a  rolling  mill  and  blast  furnace,  and 
providing  every  facility  for  building  a  ship 
out  of  the  ore  and   timber.     This  immense 


plant  covered  a  large  area,  was  valued  at 
several  millions  of  dollars,  and  was  known 
as  the  Delaware  River  Iron  Shipbuilding 
and  Engine  Works,  of  which  Mr.  Roach 
was  the  principal  owner.  He  built  a  large 
percentage  of  the  iron  vessels  now  flying 
the  American  flag,  the  bulk  of  his  business 
being  for  private  parties.  In  1875  he  built 
the  sectional  dry  docks  at  Pensacola.  He, 
about  this  time,  drew  the  attention  of  the 
government  to  the  use  of  compound  marine 
engines,  and  thus  was  the  means  of  im- 
proving the  speed  and  economy  of  the  ves- 
sels of  our  new  navy.  In  1883  Mr.  Roach 
commenced  work  on  the  three  cruisers  for 
the  government,  the  "Chicago,"  "Boston" 
and  "Atlanta,"  and  the  dispatch  boat 
"  Dolphin."  For  some  cause  the  secretary 
of  the  navy  refused  to  receive  the  latter  and 
decided  that  Mr.  Roach's  contract  would 
not  hold.  This  embarrassed  Mr.  Roach, 
as  a  large  amount  of  his  capital  was  in- 
volved in  these  contracts,  and  for  the  pro- 
tection of  bondsmen  and  creditors,  July  18, 
1885,  he  made  an  assignment,  but  the 
financial  trouble  broke  down  his  strong  con- 
stitution, and  January  10,  1887,  he  died. 
His  son,  John  B.  Roach,  succeeded  to  the 
shipbuilding  interests,  while  Stephen  W. 
Roach  inherited  the  Morgan  Iron  Works  at 
New  York. 


JOHN  SINGLETON  COPLEY,  one  of 
the  two  great  painters  who  laid  the 
foundation  of  true  American  art,  was  born 
in  Boston  in  1737,  one  year  earlier  than  his 
great  contemporary,  Benjamin  West.  His 
education  was  limited  to  the  common  schools 
of  that  time,  and  his  training  in  art  he  ob- 
tained by  his  own  observation  and  experi- 
ments solely.  When  he  was  about  seven- 
teen years  old  he  had  mapped  out  his  future, 
however,  by  choosing  painting  as  his  pro- 


192 


COMPENDIUM  OF  BIOGRAPHT. 


fession.  If  he  ever  studied  under  any 
teacher  in  his  early  efforts,  we  have  no  au- 
thentic account  of  it,  and  tradition  credits 
the  young  artist's  wonderful  success  en- 
tirely to  his  own  talent  and  untiring  effort. 
It  is  almost  incredible  that  at  the  age  of 
twenty-three  years  his  income  from  his 
works  aggregated  fifteen  hundred  dollars 
per  annum,  a  very  great  sum  in  those  days. 
In  1774  he  went  to  Europe  in  search  of  ma- 
terial for  study,  which  was  so  rare  in  his 
native  land.  After  some  time  spent  in  Italy 
he  finally  took  up  his  permanent  residence 
in  England.  In  1783  he  was  made  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Royal  Academy,  and  later  his 
son  had  the  high  honor  of  becoming  lord 
chancellor  of  England  and  Lord  Lyndhurst. 
Many  specimens  of  Copley's  work  are  to 
be  found  in  the  Memorial  Hall  at  Harvard 
and  in  the  Boston  Museum,  as  well  as  a  few 
of  the  works  upon  which  he  modeled  his 
style.  Copley  was  essentially  a  portrait 
)ainter,  though  his  historical  paintings  at- 
lained  great  celebrity,  his  masterpiece 
being  his  ' '  Death  of  Major  Pierson, "  though 
that  distinction  has  by  some  been  given  to 
his  "Death  of  Chatham."  It  is  said  that 
he  never  saw  a  good  picture  until  he  was 
thirty-five  years  old,  yet  his  portraits  prior 
to  that  period  are  regarded  as  rare  speci- 
mens.    He  died  in  181 5. 


HENRY  B.  PLANT,  one  of  the  greatest 
railroad  men  of  the  country,  became 
famous  as  president  of  the  Plant  system  of 
railway  and  steamer  lines,  and  also  the 
Southern  &  Texas  Express  Co.  He  was 
born  in  October,  18 19,  at  Branford, 
Connecticut,  and  entered  the  railroad  serv- 
ice in  1844,  serving  as  express  messenger 
on  the  Hartford  &  New  Haven  Railroad  until 
1853,  during  which  time  he  had  entire 
charge  of  the  exprp.s»  business  of  that  road. 


He  went  south  in  1853  and  established  ex- 
press lines  on  various  southern  railways,  and 
in  1 861  organized  the  Southern  Express 
Co.,  and  became  its  president.  In  1879  he 
purchased,  with  others,  the  Atlantic  &  Gulf 
Railroad  of  Georgia,  and  later  reorganized 
the  Savannah,  Florida  &  Western  Railroad, 
of  which  he  became  president.  He  pur- 
chased and  rebuilt,  in  1880,  the  Savannah 
&  Charleston  Railroad,  now  Charleston  & 
Savannah.  Not  long  after  this  he  organ- 
ized the  Plant  Investment  Co.,  to  control 
these  railroads  and  advance  their  interests 
generally,  and  later  established  a  steamboat 
line  on  the  St.  John's  river,  in  Florida. 
From  1853  until  i860  he  was  general 
superintendent  of  the  southern  division  of 
the  Adams  Express  Co.,  and  in  1867  be- 
came president  of  the  Texas  Express  Co. 
The  "Plant  system"  of  railway,  steamer 
and  steamship  lines  is  one  of  the  greatest 
business  corporations  of  the  southern  states. 


WADE  HAMPTON,  a  noted  Confeder- 
ate officer,  was  born  at  Columbia, 
South  Carolina,  in  1 818.  He  graduated 
from  the  South  Carolina  College,  took  an 
active  part  in  politics,  and  was  twice  elected 
to  the  legislature  of  his  state.  In  1861  he 
joined  the  Confederate  army,  and  command- 
ed the  "  Hampton  Legion  "  at  the  first  bat- 
tle of  Bull  Run,  in  July,  1861.  He  did 
meritorious  service,  was  wounded,  and  pro- 
moted to  brigadier-general.  He  command- 
ed a  brigade  at  Seven  Pines,  in  1862,  and 
was  again  wounded.  He  was  engaged  in 
the  battle  of  Antietam  in  September  of  the 
same  year,  and  participated  in  the  raid  into 
Pennsylvania  in  October.  In  1863  he  was 
with  Lee  at  Gettysburg,  where  he  was 
wounded  for  the  third  time.  He  was  pro- 
moted to  the  rank  of  lieutenant-general,  and 
commanded    a   troop   of   cavalry  in    Lee's 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


193 


army  during  1864,  and  was  in  humerous  en- 
gagements. In  1865  he  was  in  South  Car- 
olina, and  commanded  the  cavalry  rear 
guard  of  the  Confederate  army  in  its  stub- 
born retreat  before  General  Sherman  on  his 
advance  toward  Richmond. 

After  the  war  Hampton  took  an  active 
part  in  politics,  and  was  a  prominent  figure 
at  the  Democratic  national  convention  in 
1868,  which  nominated  Seymour  and  Blair 
for  president  and  vice-president.  He  was 
governor  of  South  Carolina,  and  took  his 
seat  in  the  United  States  senate  in  1879, 
where  he  became  a  conspicuous  figure  in 
national  affairs. 


NIlvOLA  TESLA,  one  of  the  most  cele- 
brated electricians  America  has  known, 
was  born  in  1857,  at  Smiljau,  Lika,  Servia. 
He  descended  from  an  old  and  representative 
family  of  that  country.  His  father  was  a 
a  minister  of  the  Greek  church,  of  high  rank, 
while  his  mother  was  a  woman  of  remarka- 
ble skill  in  the  construction  of  looms,  churns 
and  the  machinery  required  in  a  rural  home. 
Nikola  received  early  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Gospich,  when  he  was 
sent  to  the  higher  "Real  Schule"  at  Karl- 
stadt,  where,  after  a  three  years'  course, 
he  graduated  in  1873.  He  devoted  him- 
self to  experiments  in  electricity  and 
magnetism,  to  the  chagrin  of  his  father, 
who  had  destined  him  for  the  ministry, 
but  giving  way  to  the  boy's  evident  genius 
he  was  allowed  to  continue  his  studies  in 
the  polytechnic  school  at  Gratz.  He  in- 
herited a  wonderful  intuition  which  enabled 
him  to  see  through  the  intricacies  of  ma- 
chinery, and  despite  his  instructor's  demon- 
stration that  a  dynamo  could  not  be  oper- 
ated without  commutators  or  brushes, 
began  experiments  which  finally  resulted  in 
his  rotating  field  motors.      After  the  study 


of  languages  at  Prague  and  Buda-Pesth,  he 
became  associated  with  M.  Puskas,  who 
had  introduced  the  telephone  into  Hungary. 
He  invented  several  improvements,  but 
being  unable  to  reap  the  necessary  benefit 
from  them,  he,  in  search  of  a  wider  field, 
went  to  Paris,  where  he  found  employmemt 
with  one  of  the  electric  lighting  companies 
as  electrical  engineer.  Soon  he  set  his  face 
westward,  and  coming  to  the  United  States 
for  a  time  found  congenial  employment  wHh 
Thomas  A.  Edison.  Finding  it  impossible, 
overshadowed  as  he  was,  to  carry  out  his 
own  ideas  he  left  the  Edison  works  to  join 
a  company  formed  to  place  his  own  inven- 
tions on  the  market.  He  perfected  his 
rotary  field  principle,  adapting  it  to  circuits 
then  in  operation.  It  is  said  of  him  that 
some  of  his  proved  theories  will  change  the 
entire  electrical  science.  It  would,  in  an 
article  of  this  length,  be  impossible  to  ex- 
plain all  that  Tesla  accomplished  for  the 
practical  side  of  electrical  engineering. 
His  discoveries  formed  the  basis  of  the  at- 
tempt to  utilize  the  water  power  of  Niagara 
Falls.  His  work  ranges  far  beyond  the 
vast  department  of  polyphase  currents  and 
high  potential  lighting  and  includes  many 
inventions  in  arc  lighting,  transformers, 
pyro  and  thermo-magnetic  motors,  new 
forms  of  incandescent  lamps,  unipolar  dyna- 
mos and  many  others. 


CHARLES  B.  LEWIS  won  fame  as  an 
American  humorist  under  the  name  of 
"M.  Quad."  It  is  said  he  owes  his 
celebrity  originally  to  the  fact  that  he  was 
once  mixed  up  in  a  boiler  explosion  on  the 
Ohio  river,  and  the  impressions  he  received 
from  the  event  he  set  up  from  his  case  when 
he  was  in  the  composing  room  of  an  ob- 
scure Michigan  paper.  His  style  possesses  a 
peculiar  quaintness,  and  there  runs  through 


104 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAP IIV. 


it  a  vein  of  philosophy.  Mr.  Lewis  was 
born  in  1844,  near  a  town  called  Liverpool, 
Ohio.  He  was,  however,  raised  in  Lansing, 
Michi-^'an.  where  he  spent  a  year  in  an  agri- 
cultural college,  going  from  there  to  the 
composing  room  of  the  "Lansing  Demo- 
crat." At  the  outbreak  of  the  war  he  en- 
listed in  the  service,  remained  during  the 
entire  war,  and  then  returned  to  Lansing. 
The  explosion  of  the  boiler  that  "blew  him 
into  fame,"  took  place  two  years  later,  while 
he  was  on  his  way  south.  When  he  re- 
covered physically,  he  brought  suit  for  dam- 
ages against  the  steamboat  company,  which 
he  gained,  and  was  awarded  a  verdict  of 
twelve  thousand  dollars  for  injuries  re- 
ceived. It  was  while  he  was  employed  by 
the  "  Jacksonian"  of  Pontiac,  Mich., that  he 
set  up  his  account  of  how  he  felt  while  being 
blown  up.  He  says  that  he  signed  it  "M 
Quad,"  because  "a  bourgeoise  em  quad  is 
useless  except  in  its  own  line — it  won't 
justify  with  any  other  type."  Soon  after, 
because  of  the  celebrity  he  attained  by  this 
screed,  Mr.  Lewis  secured  a  place  on  the 
staff  of  the  "Detroit  Free  Press,"  and  made 
for  that  paper  a  wide  reputation.  His 
sketches  of  the  "Lime  Kiln  Club"  and 
"  Brudder  Gardner "  are  perhaps  the  best 
known  of  his  humorous  writings. 


HIRAM  S.  MAXIM,  the  famous  inventor, 
was  born  in  Sangersville,  Maine, 
February  5,  1840,  the  son  of  Isaac  W. 
and  Harriet  B.  Maxim.  The  town  of  his 
birth  was  but  a  small  place,  in  the 
woods,  on  the  confines  of  civilization, 
and  the  family  endured  many  hardships. 
They  were  without  means  and  entirely 
dependent  on  themselves  to  make  out  of 
raw  materials  all  they  needed.  The  mother 
was  an  expert  spinner,  weaver,  dyer  and 
seamstress  and  the  father  a  trapper,  tanner, 


miller,  blacksmith,  carpenter,  mason  and 
farmer.  Amid  such  surroundings  young 
Maxim  gave  early  promise  of  remarkable 
aptitude.  With  the  universal  Yankee  jack- 
knife  the  products  of  his  skill  excited  the 
wonder  and  interest  of  the  locality.  His 
parents  did  not  encourage  his  latent  genius 
but  apprenticed  him  to  a  coach  builder. 
Four  years  he  labored  at  this  uncongenial 
trade  but  at  the  end  of  that  time  he  forsook 
it  and  entered  a  machine  shop  at  Fitchburg, 
Massachusetts.  Soon  mastering  the  details 
of  that  business  and  that  of  mechanical 
drawing,  he  went  to  Boston  as  the  foreman 
of  the  philosophical  instrument  manufactory. 
From  thence  he  went  to  New  York  and  with 
the  Novelty  Iron  Works  Shipbuilding  Co. 
he  gained  experience  in  those  trades.  His 
inventions  up  to  this  time  consisted  of 
improvements  in  steam  engines,  and  an 
automatic  gas  machine,  which  came  into 
general  use.  In  1877  he  turned  his  attention 
to  electricity,  and  in  1878  produced  an 
incandescent  lamp,  that  would  burn  1,000 
hours.  He  was  the  first  to  design  a  process 
for  flashing  electric  carbons,  and  the  first 
to  "standardize"  carbons  for  electric  light- 
ing. In  I S80  he  visited  Europe  and  exhibit- 
ing, at  the  Paris  Exposition  of  1881,  a  self- 
regulating  machine,  was  decorated  with  the 
Legion  of  Honor.  In  1883  he  returned  to 
London  as  the  European  representative  of  the 
United  States  Electric  Light  Co.  An  incident 
of  his  boyhood,  in  which  the  recoil  of  a  rifle 
was  noticed  by  him,  and  the  apparent  loss 
of  power  shown,  in  1881-2  prompted  the 
invention  of  a  gun  which  utilizes  the  recoil  to 
automatically  load  and  fire  seven  hundred 
and  seventy  shots  per  minute.  The  Maxim- 
Nordenfelt  Gun  Co.,  w^ith  a  capital  of  nine 
million  dollars,  grew  from  this.  In  1883  he 
patented  his  electric  training  gear  for  large 
guns.     And  later  turned  his  attention  to  fly- 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


195 


ing  machines,  which  he  claimed  were  not  an 
impossibility.  He  took  out  over  one  hundred 
patents  for  smokeless  gunpowder,  and  for  pe- 
troleum and  other  motors  and  autocycles. 


JOHN  DAVISON  ROCKEFELLER, 
<J  one  of  America's  very  greatest  financiers 
and  philanthropists,  was  born  in  Richford, 
Tioga  county.  New  York,  July  8,  1839.  He 
received  a  common-school  education  in  his 
native  place,  and  in  1853,  when  his  parents 
removed  to  Cleveland,  Ohio,  he  entered  the 
high  school  of  that  city.  After  a  two-years' 
course  of  diligent  work,  he  entered  the  com- 
mission and  forwarding  house  of  Hewitt  & 
Tuttle,  of  Cleveland,  remaining  with  the 
firm  some  years,  and  then  began  business 
for  himself,  forming  a  partnership  with 
Morris  B.  Clark.  Mr.  Rockefeller  was  then 
but  nineteen  years  of  age,  and  during  the 
year  i860,  in  connection  with  others,  they 
started  the  oil  refining  business,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Andrews,  Clark  &  Co.  Mr. 
Rockefeller  and  Mr.  Andrews  purchased  the 
interest  of  their  associates,  and,  after  taking 
William  Rockefeller  into  the  firm, established 
offices  in  Cleveland  under  the  name  of 
William  Rockefeller  &  Co.  Shortly  after 
this  the  house  of  Rockefeller  &  Co.  was  es- 
tablished in  New  York  for  the  purpose  of 
finding  a  market  for  their  products, -and  two 
years  later  all  the  refining  companies  were 
consolidated  under  the  firm  name  of  Rocke- 
feller, Andrews  &  Flagler.  This  firm  was 
succeeded  in  1870  by  the  Standard  Oil 
Company  of  Ohio,  said  to  be  the  most 
gigantic  business  corporation  of  modern 
times.  John  D.  Rockefeller's  fortune  has 
been  variously  estimated  at  from  one  hun- 
dred million  to  two  hundred  million  dollars. 
Mr.  Rockefeller's  philanthropy  mani- 
fested itself  principally  through  the  American 
Baptist   Educational  Society.      He  donated 


the  building  for  the  Spelman  Institute  at 
Atlanta,  Georgia,  a  school  for  the  instruction 
of  negroes.  His  other  gifts  were  to  the 
University  of  Rochester,  Cook  Academy, 
Peddie  Institute,  and  Vassar  College,  be- 
sides smaller  gifts  to  many  institutions 
throughout  the  country.  His  princely  do- 
nations, however,  were  to  the  University  of 
Chicago.  His  first  gift  to  this  institution 
was  a  conditional  offer  of  six  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars  in  1889,  and  when  this  amount 
was  paid  he  added  one  million  more.  Dur- 
ing 1892  he  made  it  two  gifts  of  one  million 
each,  and  all  told,  his  donations  to  this  one 
institution  aggregated  between  seven  and 
eight  millions  of  dollars. 


JOHN  M.  PALMER.— For  over  a  third 
»J  of  a  century  this  gentleman  occupied  a 
prominent  place  in  the  political  world,  both 
in  the  state  of  Illinois  and  on  the  broader 
platform  of  national  issues. 

Mr.  Palmer  was  born  at  Eagle  Creek, 
Scott  county,  Kentucky,  September  13, 
1 8 17.  The  family  subsequently  removed 
to  Christian  county,  in  the  same  state,  where 
he  acquired  a  common-school  education,  and 
made  his  home  until  1831.  His  father  was 
opposed  to  slavery,  and  in  the  latter  year 
removed  to  Illinois  and  settled  near  Alton. 
In  1834  John  entered  Alton  College,  or- 
ganized on  the  manual-labor  plan,  but  his 
funds  failing,  abandoned  it  and  entered  a 
cooper  shop.  He  subsequently  was  en- 
gaged in  peddling,  and  teaching  a  district 
school  near  Canton.  In  1838  he  began  the 
study  of  law,  and  the  following  year  re- 
moved to  Carlinville,  where,  in  December  of 
that  year,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  He 
was  shortly  after  defeated  for  county  clerk. 
In  1843  he  was  elected  probate  judge.  In 
the  constitutional  convention  of  1847,  Mr. 
Palmer  was  a   delegate,  and   from  1849  to 


196 


COMPENDIUM   OF    BIOGRAPHY. 


1851  he  was  county  judge.  In  1852  he  be- 
came a  member  of  the  state  senate,  but  not 
being  with  his  party  on  the  slavery  question 
he  resigned  that  office  in  1854.  In  1856 
Mr.  Palmer  was  chairman  of  the  first  Re- 
publican state  convention  held  in  Illinois, 
and  the  same  year  was  a  delegate  to  the 
national  convention.  In  i860  he  was  an 
elector  on  the  Lincoln  ticket,  and  on  the 
breaking  out  of  the  war  entered  the  service 
as  colonel  of  the  Fourteenth  Illinois  Infan- 
try, but  was  shortly  after  brevetted  brigadier- 
general.  In  August,  1862,  he  organized 
the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-second  Illi- 
nois Infantry,  but  in  September  he  was 
placed  in  command  of  the  first  division  of 
the  Army  of  the  Mississippi,  afterward  was 
promoted  to  the  rank  of  major-general.  In 
1865  he  was  assigned  to  the  military  ad- 
ministration in  Kentucky.  In  1867  General 
Palmer  was  elected  governor  of  Illinois  and 
served  four  years.  In  1 872  he  went  with 
the  Liberal  Republicans,  who  supported 
Horace  Greeley,  after  which  time  he  was 
identified  with  the  Democratic  party.  In 
1890  he  was  elected  United  States  senator 
from  Illinois,  and  served  as  such  for  six 
years.  In  1896,  on  the  adoption  of  the  sil- 
ver plank  in  the  platform  of  the  Democratic 
party.  General  Palmer  consented  to  lead, 
as  presidential  candidate,  the  National  Dem- 
oc^vats,  or  Gold  Democracy. 


WILLIAM  H.  BEARD,  the  humorist 
among  American  painters,  was  born 
at  Painesville,  Ohio,  in  1821.  His  father, 
James  H.  Beard,  was  also  a  painter  of  na- 
tional reputation.  William  H.  Beard  be- 
gan his  career  as  a  traveling  portrait 
painter.  He  pursued  his  studies  in  New 
York,  and  later  removed  to  Buffalo,  where 
he  achieved  reputation.     He  then   went  to 


Italy  and  after  a  short  stay  returned  to  New 
York  and  opened  a  studio.  One  of  his 
earliest  paintings  was  a  small  picture  called 
"Cat  and  Kittens, "  which  was  placed  in 
the  National  Academy  on  exhibition.  Among 
his  best  productions  are  "Raining  Cats  and 
Dogs,"  "The  Dance  of  Silenus, "  "Bears 
on  a  Bender,"  "Bulls  and  Bears,"  ' '  Whoo!" 
"  Grimalkin's  Dream,"  "Little  Red  Riding 
Hood,"  "The  Guardian  of  the  Flag."  His 
animal  pictures  convey  the  most  ludicrous 
and  satirical  ideas,  and  the  intelligent, 
human  expression  in  their  faces  is  most 
comical.  Some  artists  and  critics  have  re- 
fused to  give  Mr.  Beard  a  place  among  the 
tirst  circles  in  art,  solely  on  account  of  the 
class  of  subjects  he  has  chosen. 


WW.  CORCORAN,  the  noted  philan- 
throphist,  was  born  at  Georgetown, 
District  of  Columbia,  December  27,  1798. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-five  he  entered  the 
banking  business  in  Washington,  and  in 
time  became  very  wealthy.  He  was 
noted  for  his  magnificent  donations  to  char- 
ity. Oak  Hill  cemetery  was  donated  to 
Georgetown  in  1847,  and  ten  years  later  the 
Corcoran  Art  Gallery,  Temple  of  Art,  was 
presented  to  the  city  of  Washington.  The 
uncompleted  building  was  utilized  by  the 
government  as  quartermaster's  headquar- 
ters during  the  war.  The  building  was 
completed  after  the  war  at  a  cost  of  a  mil- 
lion and  a  half  dollars,  all  the  gift  of  Mr. 
Corcoran.  The  Louise  Home  for  Women 
is  another  noble  charity  to  his  credit.  Its 
object  is  the  care  of  women  of  gentle  breed- 
ing who  in  declining  years  are  without 
means  of  support.  In  addition  to  this  he 
gave  liberally  to  many  worthy  institutions 
of  learning  and  charity.  He  died  at  Wash- 
ington February  24,  1888. 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


197 


ALBERT  BIERSTADT,  the  noted  paint- 
er of  American  landscape,  was  born  in 
Dusseldorf,  Germany,  in  1829,  and  was 
brought  to  America  by  his  parents  at  the 
age  of  two  years.  He  received  his  early 
education  here,  but  returned  to  Dusseldorf 
to  study  painting,  and  also  went  to  Rome. 
On  his  return  to  America  he  accompanied 
Lander's  e.xpedition  across  the  continent,  in 
1858,  and  soon  after  produced  his  most 
popular  work,  "The  Rocky  Mountains — 
Lander's  Peak. "  Its  boldness  and  grandeur 
were  so  unusual  that  it  made  him  famous. 
The  picture  sold  for  twenty-five  thousand 
dollars.  In  1867  Mr.  Bierstadt  went  to 
Europe,  with  a  government  commission, 
and  gathered  materials  for  his  great  historic- 
al work,  "Discovery  of  the  North  River 
by  Hendrik  Hudson."  Others  of  his  great 
works  were  "Storm  in  the  Rocky  Mount- 
ains," "Valley  of  the  Yosemite,"  "North 
Fork  of  the  Platte,"  "Diamond  Pool," 
"Mount  Hood,"  "Mount  Rosalie,"  and 
"The  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains."  His 
"Estes  Park"  sold  for  fifteen  thousand 
dollars,  and  "Mount  Rosalie"  brought 
thirty-five  thousand  dollars.  His  smaller 
Rocky  mountain  scenes,  however,  are  vast- 
ly superior  to  his  larger  works  in  execution 
and  coloring. 

ADDISON  CAMMACK,  a  famous  mill- 
ionaire Wall  street  speculator,  was 
born  in  Kentucky.  When  sixteen  years  old 
he  ran  away  from  home  and  went  to  New 
Orleans,  where  he  went  to  work  in  a  ship- 
ping house.  He  outlived  and  outworked 
all  the  partners,  and  became  the  head  of  the 
firm  before  the  opening  of  the  war.  At 
that  time  he  fitted  out  small  vessels  and  en- 
gaged in  running  the  blockade  of  southern 
ports  and  carrymg  ammunition,  merchan- 
dise, etc.,   to  the    southern    people.     This 


made  him  a  fortune.  At  the  close  of  the 
war  he  quit  business  and  went  to  New 
York.  For  two  years  he  did  not  enter  any 
active  business,  but  seemed  to  be  simply  an 
on-looker  in  the  great  speculative  center  of 
America.  He  was  observing  keenly  the 
methods  and  financial  machinery,  however, 
and  when,  in  1867,  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  the  popular  Charles  J.  Osborne,  the 
firm  began  to  prosper.  He  never  had  an 
office  on  the  street,  but  wandered  into  the 
various  brokers'  offices  and  placed  his  orders 
as  he  saw  fit.  In  1873  he  dissolved  his 
partnership  with  Osborne  and  operated 
alone.  He  joined  a  band  of  speculative 
conspirators  known  as  the  "Twenty-third 
party,"  and  was  the  ruling  spirit  in  that  or- 
ganization for  the  control  of  the  stock  mar- 
ket. He  was  always  on  the  ' '  bear  "  side  and 
the  only  serious  obstacle  he  ever  encoun- 
tered was  the  persistent  boom  in  industrial 
stocks,  particularly  sugar,  engineered  by 
James  R.  Keane.  Mr.  Cammack  fought 
Keane  for  two  years,  and  during  the  time  is 
said  to  have  lost  no  less  than  two  million 
dollars  before  he  abandoned  the  fight. 


WALT.  WHITMAN.— Foremost  among 
the  lesser  poets  of  the  latter  part  of  the 
nineteenth  century,  the  gentleman  whose 
name  adorns  the  head  of  this  article  takes 
a  conspicuous  place. 

Whitman  was  born  at  West  Hills,  Long 
Island,  New  York,  May  13,  1809.  In  the 
schools  of  Brooklyn  he  laid  the  foundation 
of  his  education,  and  early  in  Jife  learned  the 
printer's  trade.  For  a  time  he  taught  coun- 
try schools  in  his  native  state.  In  1846-7 
he  was  editor  of  the  "Brooklyn  Eagle," 
but  in  1848-9  was  on  the  editorial  staff  of 
the  "Crescent,"  of  New  Orleans.  He 
made  an  extended  tour  throughout  the 
United  States  and  Canada,  and  returned  to 


108 


COMPENDIUM   OF   lUOGRAl'Hr. 


Brooklyn,  where,  in  1850,  he  published  the 
' '  Freeman.  "  For  some  years  succeeding 
this  he  was  engaged  as  carpenter  and  builder. 
During  the  Civil  war,  Whitman  acted  as 
a  volunteer  nurse  in  the  hospitals  at 
Washington  and  vicinity  and  from  the  close 
of  hostilities  until  1873  he  was  employed 
in  various  clerkships  in  the  government 
offices  in  the  nation's  capital.  In  the  latter 
year  he  was  stricken  with  paralysis  as  a 
result  of  his  labors  in  the  hospital,  it  is 
said,  and  being  partially  disabled  lived  for 
many  years  at  Camden,   New  Jersey. 

The  first  edition  of  the  work  which  was 
to  bring  him  fame,  "Leaves  of  Grass,"  was 
published  in  1855  and  was  but  a  small 
volume  of  about  ninety-four  pages.  Seven 
or  eight  editions  of  "Leaves  of  Grass"  have 
been  issued,  each  enlarged  and  enriched  with 
new  poems.  "Drum  Taps,"  at  first  a 
separate  publication,  has  been  incorporated 
with  the  others.  This  volume  and  one 
prose  writing  entitled  "Specimen  Days  and 
Collect,"  constituted  his  whole  work. 

Walt.  Whitman  died  at  Camden,  New 
Jersey,  March  26,  1892. 


HENRY  DUPONT,  who  became  cele- 
brated as  America's  greatest  manufact- 
urer of  gunpowder,  was  a  native  of  Dela- 
ware, born  August  8,  1S12.  He  received 
his  education  in  its  higher  branches  at  the 
United  States  Military  Academy  at  West 
Point,  from  which  he  graduated  and  entered 
the  army  as  second  lieutenant  of  artillery  in 
1833.  In  1834  he  resigned  and  became 
proprietor  of  the  extensive  gunpowder 
manufacturing  plant  that  bears  his  name, 
near  Wilmington,  Delaware.  His  large 
business  interests  interfered  with  his  tak- 
ing any  active  participation  in  political 
life,  although  for  many  years  he  served 
as  adjutant-general  of  his  native  state,  and 


during  the  war  as  major-general  command- 
ing the  Home  Guards.  He  died  August  8, 
1889.  His  son,  Henry  A.  Dupont,  also  was 
a  native  of  Delaware,  and  was  born  July  30, 
1838.  After  graduating  from  West  Point 
in  1 86 1,  he  entered  the  army  as  second 
lieutenant  of  engineers.  Shortly  after  he 
was  transferred  to  the  Fifth  Artillery  as  first 
lieutenant.  He  was  promoted  to  the  rank 
of  captain  in  1864,  serving  in  camp  and 
garrison  most  of  the  time.  He  was  in  com- 
mand of  a  battery  in  the  campaign  of 
1863-4.  As  chief  of  artillery  of  the  army  of 
West  Virginia,  he  figured  until  the  close  of 
the  war,  being  in  the  battles  of  Opequan, 
Fisher's  Hill  and  Cedar  Creek,  besides 
many  minor  engagements.  He  afterward 
acted  as  instructor  in  the  artillery  school  at 
Fortress  Monroe,  and  on  special  duty  at 
West  Point.  He  resigned  from  the  army 
March  i,  1875. 


WILLIAM  DEERING,  one  of  the  fa- 
mous manufacturers  of  America,  and 
also  a  philanthropist  and  patron  of  educa- 
tion, was  born  in  Maine  in  1826.  His  an- 
cestors were  English,  having  settled  in  New 
England  in  1634.  Early  in  life  it  was  Will- 
iam's intention  to  become  a  physician,  and 
after  completing  his  common-school  educa- 
tion, when  about  eighteen  years  of  age,  he 
began  an  apprenticeship  with  a  physician. 
A  short  time  later,  however,  at  the  request 
of  his  father,  he  took  charge  of  his  father's 
business  interests,  which  included  a  woolen 
mill,  retail  store  and  grist  mill,  after  which 
he  became  agent  for  a  dry  goods  commission 
house  in  Portland,  where  he  was  mjirried. 
Later  he  became  partner  in  the  firm,  and 
removed  to  New  York.  The  business  pros- 
pered, and  after  a  number  of  years,  on  ac- 
count of  failing  health,  Mr.  Deering  sold  his 
interest  to  his  partner,  a  Mr.  Milner.     The 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


19U 


business  has  since  made  Mr.  Milner  a  mill- 
ionaire many  times  over.  A  few  years 
later  Mr.  Deering  located  in  Chicago.  His 
beginning  in  the  manufacture  of  reapers, 
which  has  since  made  his  name  famous, 
was  somewhat  of  an  accident.  He  had 
loaned  money  to  a  man  in  that  business, 
and  in  1878  was  compelled  to  buy  out  the 
business  to  protect  his  interests.  The  busi- 
ness developed  rapidly  and  grew  to  immense 
proportions.  The  factories  now  cover  si.xty- 
two  acres  of  ground  and  employ  many  thou- 
sands of  men. 


T  OHN  McAllister  schofield,  an 

<J  American  general,  was  born  in  Chautau- 
qua county.  New  York,  September  29,  1831. 
He  graduated  at  West  Point  in  1853,  and 
was  for  five  years  assistant  professor  of  nat- 
ural philosophy  in  that  institution.  In  186 1 
he  entered  the  volunteer  service  as  major  of 
the  First  Missouri  Volunteers,  and  was  ap- 
pointed chief  of  staff  by  General  Lyon,  under 
whom  he  fought  at  the  battle  of  Wilson's 
Creek.  In  November,  1861,  he  was  ap- 
pointed brigadier-general  of  volunteers,  and 
was  placed  in  command  of  the  Missouri 
militia  until  November,  1862,  and  of  the 
army  of  the  frontier  from  that  time  until 
1863.  In  1862  he  was  made  major-general 
of  volunteers,  and  was  placed  in  command  of 
the  Department  of  the  Missouri,  and  in  1864 
of  the  Department  of  the  Ohio.  During  the 
campaign  through  Georgia  General  Scho- 
field was  in  command  of  the  Twenty-third 
Army  Corps,  and  was  engaged  in  most  of  the 
fighting  of  that  famous  campaign.  Novem- 
ber 30,  1864,  he  defeated  Hood's  army  at 
Franklin,  Tennessee,  and  then  joined  Gen- 
eral Thomas  at  Nashville.  He  took  part  in 
the  battle  of  Nashville,  where  Hood's  army 
was  destroyed.  In  January,  1865,  he  led 
his   corps    into    North    Carolina,    captured 


Wilmington,  fought  the  battle  of  Kingston, 
and  joined  General  Sherman  at  Goldsboro 
March  22,  1865.  He  executed  the  details 
of  the  capitulation  of  General  Johnston  to 
Sherman,  which  practically  closed  the  war. 
In  June,  1868,  General  Schofield  suc- 
ceeded Edwin  M.  Stanton  as  secretary  of 
war,  but  was  the  next  year  appointed  major- 
general  of  the  United  States  army,  and  order- 
ed to  the  Department  of  the  Missouri.  From 
1S70  to  1876  he  was  in  command  of  the  De- 
partment of  the  Pacific;  from  1876  to  1881 
superintendent  of  the  West  Point  Military 
Academy;  in  1883  he  was  in  charge  of  the 
Department  of  the  Missouri,  and  in  1886  of 
the  division  of  the  Atlantic.  In  1888  he 
became  general-in-chief  of  the  United  States 
army,  and  in  February,  1895,  was  appoint- 
ed lieutenant-general  by  President  Cleve- 
land, that  rank  having  been  revived  by  con- 
gress. In  September,  1895,  he  was  retired 
from  active  service. 


LEWIS  WALLACE,  an  American  gen- 
eral and  famous  author,  was  born  in 
Brookville,  Indiana,  April  10,  1827.  He 
served  in  the  Mexican  war  as  first  lieutenant 
of  a  company  of  Indiana  Volunteers.  After 
his  return  from  Mexico  he  was  admitted  to 
the  bar,  and  practiced  law  in  Covington  and 
Crawfordsville,  Indiana,  until  1861.  At  the 
opening  of  the  war  he  was  appointed  ad- 
jutant-general of  Indiana,  and  soon  after  be- 
came colonel  of  the  Eleventh  Indiana  Vol- 
unteers. He  defeated  a  force  of  Confeder- 
ates at  Romney,  West  Virginia,  and  was 
made  brigadier-general  in  September,  1861. 
At  the  capture  of  Fort  Donelson  in  1862  he 
commanded  a  division,  and  was  engaged  in 
the  second  day's  fight  at  Shiloh.  In  1863 
his  defenses  about  Cincinnati  saved  that  city 
from  capture  by  Kirby  Smith.  At  Monoc- 
acy  in   July,    1864,   he    was  defeated,   but 


200 


COMrENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


his  resistance  delayed  the  advance  of  Gen- 
eral Early  and  thus  saved  Washington  from 
capture. 

General  Wallace  was  a  member  of  the 
court  that  tried  the  assassins  of  President 
Lincoln,  and  also  of  that  before  whom  Cap- 
tain Henry  Wirtz,  who  had  charge  of  the 
Andersonville  prison,  was  tried.  In  1881 
General  Wallace  was  sent  as  minister  to 
Turkey.  When  not  in  official  service  he 
devoted  much  of  his  time  to  literature. 
Among  his  better  known  works  are  his 
"Fair  God,"  "Ben  Hur,"  "Prince  of 
India,"  and  a  "  Life  of  Benjamin  Harrison." 


THOMAS  FRANCIS  BAYARD,  an  Ameri- 
can statesman  and  diplomat,  was  born 
at  Wilmington,  Delaware,  October  29,  1828. 
He  obtained  his  education  at  an  Episcopal 
academy  at  Flushing,  Long  Island,  and 
after  a  short  service  in  a  mercantile  house  in 
New  York,  he  returned  to  Wilmington  and 
entered  his  father's  law  office  to  prepare 
himself  for  the  practice  of  that  profession. 
He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1851.  He 
was  appointed  to  the  office  of  United  States 
district  attorney  for  the  state  of  Delaware, 
serving  one  year.  In  1869  he  was  elected  to 
the  United  States  senate,  and  continuously 
represented  his  state  in  that  body  until  1885, 
and  in  1881,  when  Chester  A.  Arthur  entered 
the  presidential  chair,  Mr.  Bayard  was 
chosen  president  pyo  tempore  of  the  senate. 
He  had  also  served  on  the  famous  electoral 
commission  that  decided  the  Hayes-Tilden 
contest  in  1876-7.  In  1885  President  Cleve- 
land appointed  Mr.  Bayard  secretary  of 
state.  At  the  beginning  of  Cleveland's  sec- 
ond term,  in  1893,  Mr.  Bayard  was  selected 
for  the  post  of  ambassador  at  the  court  of 
St.  James,  London,  and  was  the  first  to  hold 
that  rank  in  American  diplomacy,  serving 
until  the  beginning  of  the  McKinley  admin- 


istration. The  questions  for  adjustment  at 
that  time  between  the  two  governments 
were  the  Behring  Sea  controversy  and  the 
V^enezuelan  boundary  question.  He  was 
very  popular  in  England  because  of  his 
tariff  views,  and  because  of  his  criticism  of 
the  protective  policy  of  the  United  States 
in  his  public  speeches  delivered  in  London, 
Edinburgh  and  other  places,  he  received,  m 
March,  1 896,  a  vote  of  censure  in  the  lower 
house  of  congress. 


JOHN  WORK  GARRETT,  for  so  many 
years  at  the  head  of  the  great  Baltimore 
&  Ohio  railroad  S3stem,  was  born  in  Balti- 
more, Maryland,  July  31,  1820.  His  father, 
Robert  Garrett,  an  enterprising  merchant, 
had  amassed  a  large  fortune  from  a  small 
beginning.  The  son  entered  Lafayette  Col- 
lege in  1834,  but  left  the  following  year  and 
entered  his  father's  counting  room,  and  in 
1839  became  a  partner.  John  W.  Gar- 
rett took  a  great  interest  in  the  develop- 
ment of  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railroad.  He 
was  elected  one  of  the  directors  in  1857, 
and  was  its  president  from  1858  until  his 
death.  When  he  took  charge  of  the  road 
it  was  in  an  embarrassed  condition,  but 
within  a  year,  for  the  first  time  in  its  exist- 
ence, it  paid  a  dividend,  the  increase  in  its 
net  gains  being  $725,385.  After  the  war, 
during  which  the  road  suffered  much  damage 
from  the  Confederates,  numerous  branches 
and  connecting  roads  were  built  or  acquired, 
until  it  reached  colossal  proportions.  Mr. 
Garrett  was  also  active  in  securing  a  regular 
line  of  steamers  between  Baltimore  and 
Bremen,  and  between  the  same  port  and 
Liverpool.  He  was  one  of  the  most  active 
trustees  of  Johns  Hopkins  University,  and  a 
liberal  contributor  to  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association  of  Baltimore.  He 
died  September  26,  1884. 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


201 


Robert  Garrett,  the  son  of  John  W. 
Garrett,  was  born  in  Baltimore  April  9, 
1847,  and  graduated  from  Princeton  in  1867. 
He  received  a  business  education  in  the 
banking  house  of  his  father,  and  in  1871 
became  president  of  the  Valley  Railroad  of 
Virginia.  He  was  made  third  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railroad  in 
1879,  and  first  vice-president  in  1881.  He 
succeeded  his  father  as  president  in  1884. 
Robert  Garrett  died  July  29,  1896. 


CARLSCHURZ,  a  noted  German-Ameri- 
can statesman,  was  born  in  Liblar,  Prus- 
sia, March  2,  1829.  He  studied  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Bonn,  and  in  1S49  was  engaged  in 
an  attempt  to  excite  an  insurrection  at  that 
place.  After  the  surrender  of  Rastadt  by 
the  revolutionists,  in  the  defense  of  which 
Schurz  took  part,  he  decided  to  emigrate  to 
America.  He  resided  in  Philadelphia  three 
years,  and  then  settled  in  Watertown,  Wis- 
consin, and  in  1859  removed  to  Milwaukee, 
where  he  practiced  law.  On  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Republican  party  he  became  a 
leader  of  the  German  element  and  entered 
the  campaign  for  Lincoln  in  i860.  He  was 
appointed  minister  to  Spain  in  1861,  but  re- 
signed in  December  of  that  year  to  enter 
the  army.  He  was  appointed  brigadier- 
general  in  1862,  and  participated  in  the 
second  battle  of  Bull  Run,  and  also  at 
Chancellorsville.  At  Gettysburg  he  had 
temporary  command  of  the  Eleventh  Army 
Corps,  and  also  took  part  in  the  battle  of 
Chattanooga. 

After  the  war  he  located  at  St.  Louis, 
and  in  1869  was  elected  United  States  sena- 
tor from  Missouri.  He  supported  Horace 
Greeley  for  the  presidency  in  1872,  and  in 
the  campaign  of  1876,  having  removed  to 
New  York,  he  supported  Hayes  and  the  Re- 
publican  ticket,  and   was   appointed  secre- 


tary of  the  interior  in  1877.  In  1881  he 
became  editor  of  the  "New  York  Evening 
Post,"  and  in  1884  was  prominent  in  his 
opposition  to  James  G.  Blaine,  and  became 
a  leader  of  the  "Mugwumps,"  thus  assist- 
ing in  the  election  of  Cleveland.  In  the 
presidential  campaign  of  1896  his  forcible 
speeches  in  the  interest  of  sound  money 
wielded  an  immense  influence.  Mr.  Schurz 
wrote  a  "Life  of  Henry  Clay,"  said  to  be 
the  best  biography  ever  published  of  that 
eminent  statesman. 


GEORGE  F.  EDMUNDS,  an  American 
statesman  of  national  reputation,  was 
born  in  Richmond,  Vermont,  February  i, 
1828.  His  education  was  obtained  in  the 
public  schools  and  from  the  instructions  of 
a  private  tutor.  He  was  admitted  to  the 
bar,  practiced  law.  and  served  in  the  state 
legislature  from  1854  to  1859,  during  three 
years  of  that  time  being  speaker  of  the  lower 
house.  He  was  elected  to  the  state  senate 
and  acted  as  president  pro  tempore  of  that 
body  in  1861  and  1862.  He  became  promi- 
nent for  his  activity  in  the  impeachment 
proceedings  against  President  Johnson,  and 
was  appointed  to  the  United  States  senate 
to  fill  out  the  unexpired  term  of  Solomon 
Foot,  entering  that  body  in  1866.  He  was 
re-elected  to  the  senate  four  times,  and 
served  on  the  electoral  commission  in  1877. 
He  became  president  pro  tempore  of  the 
senate  after  the  death  of  President  Garfield, 
and  was  the  author  of  the  bill  which  put  an 
end  to  the  practice  of  polygamy  in  the  ter- 
ritory of  Utah.  In  November,  1891,  owing 
to  impaired  health,  he  retired  from  the  sen- 
ate and  again  resumed  the  practice  of  law. 


LUCIUS   Q.   C.    LAMAR,   a   prominent 
political  leader,   statesman    and  jurist, 
was  born  in  Putnam  county,  Georgia,  Sep- 


202 


COMPENDIUM   OF    BIOGRAPHY 


temberi7,  1825.  He  graduated  from  Emory 
College  in  1845,  studied  law  at  Macon  under 
Hon.  A.  H.  Chappell,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  1847.  He  moved  to  Oxford, 
Mississippi,  in  1849,  and  was  elected  to  a 
professorship  in  the  State  University.  He 
resigned  the  next  year  and  returned  to  Cov- 
ington, Georgia,  and  resumed  the  practice 
of  law.  In  1853  he  was  elected  to  the 
Georgia  Legislature,  and  in  18 54  he  removed 
to  his  plantation  in  Lafayette  county,  Mis- 
sissippi, and  was  elected  to  represent  his 
district  in  the  thirty-fifth  and  thirty-sixth 
congresses.  He  resigned  in  i860,  and  was 
sent  as  a  delegate  to  the  secession  conven- 
tion of  the  state.  He  entered  the  Confed- 
erate service  in  1861  as  lieutenant-colonel 
of  the  Nineteenth  Regiment,  and  was  soon 
after  made  colonel.  In  1863  President 
Davis  appointed  him  to  an  important  diplo- 
matic mission  to  Russia.  In  1866  he  was 
elected  professor  of  political  economy  and 
social  science  in  the  State  University,  and 
was  soon  afterward  transferred  to  the  pro- 
fessorship of  the  law  department.  He  rep- 
resented his  district  in  the  forty-third  and 
forty-fourth  congresses,  and  was  elected 
United  States  senator  from  Mississippi  in 
1877,  and  re-elected  in  1882.  In  1885,  be- 
fore the  expiration  of  his  term,  he  was 
appointed  by  President  Cleveland  as  secre- 
tary of  the  interior,  which  position  he  held 
until  his  appointment  as  associate  justice  of 
the  United  States  supreme  court,  in  1888, 
in  which  capacity  he  served  until  his  death, 
January  23,  1894. 


BENJAMIN  PENHALLOW  SHILLA- 
BER  won  fame  in  the  world  of 
humorists  under  the  name  of  "Mrs.  Parting- 
ton." He  was  born  in  1841  at  Portsmouth, 
New  Hampshire,  and  started  out  in  life  as  a 
printer.      Mr.     Shillaber    went    to    Dover, 


where  he  secured  employment  in  a  printing 
office,  and  from  there  he  went  to  Demerara, 
Guiana,  where  he  was  employed  as  a  com- 
positor in  1835-37.  In  1840  he  became 
connected  with  the  "Boston  Post,"  and 
acquired  quite  a  reputation  as  a  humorist 
by  his  "Sayings  of  Mrs.  Partington."  He 
remained  as  editor  of  the  paper  until  1850, 
when  he  printed  and  edited  a  paper  of  his 
own  called  the  "Pathfinder,"  which  he  con- 
tinued until  1852.  Mr.  Shillaber  be- 
came editor  and  proprietor  of  the  "Carpet 
Bag,"  which  he  conducted  during  1850-52, 
and  then  returned  to  the  "Boston  Post," 
with  which  he  was  connected  until  1856. 
During  the  same  time  he  was  one  of  the 
editors  of  the  "Saturday  Evening  Gazette," 
and  continued  in  this  line  after  he  severed 
his  connection  with  the  "Post,"  for  ten 
years.  After  1866  Mr.  Shillaber  wrote  for 
various  newspapers  and  periodicals,  and 
during  his  life  published  the  following 
books:  "Rhymes with  Reason  and  Without," 
"Poems, "  "Life  and  Sayings  of  Mrs.  Part- 
ington," "Knitting  Work,"  and  others. 
His  death  occurred  at  Chelsea,  Massachu- 
setts, November  25,  1890. 


EASTMAN  JOHNSON  stands  first  among 
painters  of  American  country  life.  He 
was  born  in  Lovell,  Maine,  in  1824,  and  be- 
gan his  work  in  drawing  at  the  age  of  eight- 
een years.  His  first  works  were  portraits, 
and,  as  he  took  up  his  residence  in  Wash- 
ington, the  most  famous  men  of  the  nation 
were  his  subjects.  In  1846  he  went  to  Bos- 
ton, and  there  made  crayon  portraits  of 
Longfellow,  Emerson,  Sumner,  Hawthorne 
and  other  noted  men.  In  1849  he  went  to 
Europe.  He  studied  at  Dusseldorf,  Ger- 
many; spent  a  year  at  the  Royal  Academy, 
and  thence  to  The  Hague,  where  he  spent 
four  years,  producing  there  his  first  pictures 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


203 


of  consequence,  "The  Card-PIayers  "  and 
"The  Savoyard."  He  then  went  to  Paris, 
but  was  called  home,  after  an  absence  from 
America  of  six  years.  He  lived  some  time 
in  Washington,  and  then  spent  two  years 
among  the  Indians  of  Lake  Superior.  In 
1858  he  produced  his  famous  picture,  "The 
Old  Kentucky  Home."  He  took  up  his 
permanent  residence  at  New  York  at  that 
time.  His  "  Sunday  Morning  in  Virginia  " 
is  a  work  of  equal  merit.  He  was  espe- 
cially successful  in  coloring,  a  master  of 
drawing,  and  the  expression  conveys  with 
precision  the  thought  of  the  artist.  His 
portrayal  of  family  life  and  child  life  is  un- 
equalled. Among  his  other  great  works  are 
"The  Confab,"  "Crossing  a  Stream,' 
"Chimney  Sweep,"  "Old  Stage  Coach," 
"  The  New  Bonnet,"  "  The  Drummer  Boy," 
"Childhood  of  Lincoln,"  and  a  great  vari- 
ety of  equally  familiar  subjects. 


PIERCE  GUST  AVE  TOUTANT  BEAU- 
REGARD, one  of  the  most  distin- 
guished generals  in  the  Confederate  army, 
was  born  near  New  Orleans,  Louisiana, 
May  28,  181 8.  He  graduated  from  West 
Point  Military  Academy  in  1838,  and  was 
made  second  lieutenant  of  engineers.  He 
was  with  General  Scott  in  Mexico,  and  dis- 
tinguished himself  at  Vera  Cruz,  Cerro 
Gordo,  and  the  battles  near  the  City  of 
Mexico,  for  which  he  was  twice  brevetted. 
After  the  Mexican  war  closed  he  was  placed 
in  charge  of  defenses  about  New  Orleans, 
and  in  i860  was  appointed  superintendent 
of  the  United  States  Military  Academy  at 
West  Point.  He  held  this  position  but  a 
few  months,  when  he  resigned  February  20, 
1 861,  and  accepted  a  commission  of  briga- 
dier-general in  the  Confederate  army.  He 
directed   the    attack    on    Fort    Sumter,  the 

first  engagement  of  the  Civil  war.     He  was 
12 


in  command  of  the  Confederates  at  the  first 
battle  of  Bull  Run,  and  for  this  victory  was 
made  general.  In  1862  he  was  placed  in 
command  of  the  Army  of  the  Mississippi, 
and  planned  the  attack  upon  General  Grant 
at  Shiloh,  and  upon  the  death  of  General 
Johnston  he  took  command  of  the  army 
and  was  only  defeated  by  the  timely  arrival 
of  General  Buell  with  reinforcements.  He 
commanded  at  Charleston  and  successfully 
defended  that  city  against  the  combined  at- 
tack by  land  and  sea  in  1863.  In  1864  he 
was  in  command  in  Virginia,  defeating  Gen- 
eral Butler,  and  resisting  Grant's  attack 
upon  Petersburg  until  reinforced  from  Rich- 
mond. During  the  long  siege  which  fol- 
lowed he  was  sent  to  check  General  Sher- 
man's march  to  the  sea,  and  was  with  Gen- 
eral Joseph  E.  Johnston  when  that  general 
surrendered  in  1865.  After  the  close  of  the 
war  he  was  largely  interested  in  railroad 
management.  In  1866  he  was  offered  chief 
command  of  the  Army  of  Roumania,  and  in 
1869,  that  of  the  Army  of  Egypt.  He  de- 
clined these  offers.  His  death  occurred 
February  20,  1893. 


HENRY  GEORGE,  one  of  America's 
most  celebrated  political  economists, 
was  born  in  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania, 
September  2,  1839.  He  received  a  common- 
school  education  and  entered  the  high 
school  in  1853,  and  then  went  into  a  mer- 
cantile office.  He  made  several  voyages  on 
the  sea,  and  settled  in  California  in  1858. 
He  then  worked  at  the  printer's  trade  for  a 
number  of  years,  which  he  left  to  follow  the 
editorial  profession.  He  edited  in  succession 
several  daily  newspapers,  and  attracted  at- 
tention by  a  number  of  strong  essays  and 
speeches  on  political  and  social  questions. 
In  1 87 1  he  edited  a  pamphlet,  entitled  "Our 
Land  and  Policy,"  in  which  he   outlined  a 


204 


COMPENDIUM  OF   lilOGRArJlV. 


theory,  which  has  since  made  him  so  widely 
known.  This  was  developed  in  "  Progress 
and  Poverty,"  a  book  which  soon  attained  a 
large  circulation  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlan- 
tic, which  has  been  extensively  translated. 
In  1880  Mr.  George  located  in  New  York, 
where  he  made  his  home,  though  he  fre- 
quently addressed  audiences  in  Great  Britain, 
Ireland,  Australia,  and  throughout  the 
United  States.  In  1886  he  was  nominated 
by  the  labor  organizations  for  mayor  of  New 
York,  and  made  a  campaign  notable  for  its 
development  of  unexpected  power.  In  1887  he 
was  candidate  of  the  Union  Labor  party  for 
secretary  of  state  of  New  York.  These  cam- 
paigns served  to  formulate  the  idea  of  i  single 
tax  and  popularize  the  Australian  ballot  sys- 
tem. Mr.  George  became  a  free  trader  in 
1888.  and  in  1892  supported  the  election  of 
Grover  Cleveland.  His  political  and  eco- 
nomic ideas,  known  as  the  "single  tax," 
have  a  large  and  growing  support,  but  are 
not  confined  to  this  country  alone.  He 
wrote  numerous  miscellaneous  articles  in 
support  of  his  principles,  and  also  published: 
"The  Land  Question,"  "Social  Problems," 
"Protection  or  Free  Trade,"  "The  Condi- 
tion of  Labor,  an  Open  Letter  to  Pope  Leo 
XIII.,"  and  "  Perplexed  Philosopher." 


THOMAS  ALEXANDER  SCOTT.  —This 
name  is  indissolubly  connected  with 
the  history  and  development  of  the  railway 
systems  of  the  United  States.  Mr.  Scott 
was  born  December  28,  1823,  at  London, 
Franklin  county,  Pennsylvania.  He  was  first 
regularly  employed  by  Major  James  Patton, 
the  collector  of  tolls  on  the  state  road  be- 
tween Philadelphia  and  Columbia,  Penn- 
sylvania. He  entered  into  the  employ  of 
the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company  in  1 850, 
and  went  through  all  the  different  branches 
of  work  until  he  had  mastered  all  the  details 


of  the  office  work,  and  in  1858  he  was  ap- 
pointed general  superintendent.  Mr.  Scott 
was  the  next  year  chosen  vice-president  of 
the  road.  This  position  at  once  brought 
him  before  the  public,  and  the  enterprise 
and  ability  displayed  by  him  in  its  manage- 
ment marked  him  as  a  leader  among  the 
railroad  men  of  the  country.  At  the  out- 
break of  the  rebellion  in  1861,  Mr.  Scott 
was  selected  by  Governor  Curtin  as  a  mem- 
ber of  his  staff,  and  placed  in  charge  of  the 
equipment  and  forwarding  of  the  state  troops 
to  the  seat  of  war.  On  April  27,  1861,  the 
secretary  of  war  desired  to  establish  a  new 
line  of  road  between  the  national  capital 
and  Philadelphia,  for  the  more  expeditious 
transportation  of  troops.  He  called  upon 
Mr.  Scott  to  direct  this  work,  and  the  road 
by  the  way  of  Annapolis  and  Perryville  was 
completed  in  a  marvelously  short  space  of 
time.  On  May  3,  1861,  he  was  commis- 
sioned colonel  of  volunteers,  and  on  the  23d 
of  the  same  month  the  government  railroads 
and  telegraph  lines  were  placed  in  his  charge. 
Mr.  Scott  was  the  first  assistant  secretary 
of  war  ever  appointed,  and  he  took  charge 
of  this  new  post  August  i,  1861.  In  Janu- 
ary, 1862,  he  was  directed  to  organize 
transportation  in  the  northwest,  and  in 
March  he  performed  the  same  service  on 
the  western  rivers.  He  resigned  June  i, 
1862,  and  resumed  his  direction  of  affairs  on 
the  Pennsylvania  Railroad.  Colonel  Scott 
directed  the  policy  that  secured  to  his  road 
the  control  of  the  western  roads,  and  be- 
came the  president  of  the  new  company  to 
operate  these  lines  in  1871.  For  one  year, 
from  March,  1S71,  he  was  president  of  the 
Union  Pacific  Railroad,  and  in  1874  he  suc- 
ceeded to  the  presidency  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Company.  He  projected  the  Texas 
Pacific  Railroad  and  was  for  many  years  its 
president.     Colonel    Scott's    health    failed 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


205 


him  and  he  resigned  the  presidency  of  the 
road  June  i,  1880,  and  died  at  his  home  in 
Darby,  Pennsylvania,  May  21,   1881. 

ROBERT  TOOMBS,  an  American  states- 
man of  note,  was  born  in  Wilkes  coun- 
ty, Georgia,  July  2,  18 10.  He  attended 
the  University  of  Georgia,  and  graduated 
from  Union  College,  Schenectady,  New 
York,  and  then  took  a  law  course  at  the 
University  of  Virginia.  In  1830,  before  he 
had  attained  his  majority,  he  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  by  special  act  of  the  legislature, 
and  rose  rapidly  in  his  profession,  attracting 
the  attention  of  the  leading  statesmen  and 
judges  of  that  time.  He  raised  a  volunteer 
company  for  the  Creek  war,  and  served  as 
captain  to  the  close.  He  was  elected  to  the 
state  legislature  in  1837,  re-elected  in  1842, 
and  in  1844  was  elected  to  congress.  He 
had  been  brought  up  as  a  Jeffersonian 
Democrat,  but  voted  for  Harrison  in  1840 
and  for  Clay  in  1844.  He  made  his  first 
speech  in  congress  on  the  Oregon  question, 
and  immediately  took  rank  with  the  greatest 
debaters  of  that  body.  In  1853  he  was 
elected  to  the  United  States  senate,  and 
again  in  1859,  but  when  his  native  state 
seceded  he  resigned  his  seat  in  the  senate 
and  was  elected  to  the  Confederate  con- 
gress. It  is  stated  on  the  best  authority 
that  had  it  not  been  for  a  misunderstanding 
which  could  not  be  explained  till  too  late  he 
would  have  been  elected  president  of  the 
Confederacy.  He  was  appointed  secretary 
of  state  by  President  Davis,  but  resigned 
after  a  few  months  and  was  commissioned 
brigadier-general  in  the  Confederate  army. 
He  won  distinction  at  the  second  battle  of 
Bull  Run  and  at  Sharpsburg,  but  resigned 
his  commission  soon  after  and  returned  to 
Georgia.  He  organized  the  militia  of 
Georgia  to  resist  Sherman,   and  was  made 


brigadier-general  of  the  state  troops.  He 
left  the  country  at  the  close  of  the  war  and 
did  not  return  until  1867.  He  died  Decem- 
ber 15,  1885. 

AUSTIN  CORBIN,  one  of  the  greatest 
railway  magnates  of  the  United  States, 
was  born  July  11,  1827,  at  Newport,  New 
Hampshire.  He  studied  law  with  Chief 
Justice  Gushing  and  Governor  Ralph  Met- 
calf,  and  later  took  a  course  in  the  Harvard 
Law  School,  where  he  graduated  in  1849. 
He  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  practiced 
law,  with  Governor  Metcalf  as  his  partner, 
until  October  12,  185 1.  Mr.  Corbin  then 
removed  to  Davenport,  Iowa,  where  he  re- 
mained until  1865.  In  1854  he  was  a  part- 
ner in  the  banking  firm  of  Macklot  &  Cor- 
bin, and  later  he  organized  the  First  Na- 
tional bank  of  Davenport,  Iowa,  which 
commenced  business  June  29,  1863,  and 
which  was  the  first  national  bank  open  for 
business  in  the  United  States.  Mr.  Corbin 
sold  out  his  business  in  the  Davenport  bank, 
and  removed  to  New  York  in  1865  and  com- 
menced business  with  partners  under  the 
style  of  Corbin  Banking  Company.  Soon 
after  his  removal  to  New  York  he  became 
interested  in  railroads,  and  became  one  of 
the  leading  railroad  men  of  the  country. 
The  development  of  the  west  half  of  Coney 
Island  as  a  summer  resort  first  brought  him 
into  general  prominence.  He  built  a  rail- 
road from  New  York  to  the  island,  and 
built  great  hotels  on  its  ocean  front.  He 
next  turned  his  attention  to  Long  Island, 
and  secured  all  the  railroads  and  consoli- 
dated them  under  one  management,  became 
president  of  the  system,  and  under  his  con- 
trol Long  Island  became  the  great  ocean 
suburb  of  New  York.  His  latest  public 
achievement  was  the  rehabilitation  of  the 
Reading    Railroad,    of    Pennsylvania,     and 


206 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


during  the  same  time  he  and  his  friends 
purchased  the  controlling  interest  of  the 
New  Jersey  Central  Railroad.  He  took  it 
out  of  the  hands  of  the  receiver,  and  in 
three  years  had  it  on  a  dividend-paying 
basis.  Mr.  Corbin's  death  occurred  June 
4.  1896.  

JAMES  GORDON  BENNETT,  Sr., 
was  one  of  the  greatest  journalists  of 
America  in  his  day.  He  was  born  Septem- 
ber I,  1795,  at  New  Mill,  near  Keith,  Scot- 
land. At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  was  sent 
to  Aberdeen  to  study  for  the  priesthood, 
but,  convinced  that  he  was  mistaken  in  his 
vocation,  he  determined  to  emigrate.  He 
landed  at  Halifax,  Nova  Scotia,  in  1819, 
where  he  attempted  to  earn  a  living  by 
teaching  bookkeeping.  Failing  in  this  he 
went  to  Boston  and  found  employment  as  a 
proof  reader.  Mr.  Bennett  went  to  New 
York  about  1822  and  wrote  for  the  news- 
papers. Later  on  he  became  assistant 
editor  in  the  office  of  the  "Charleston 
Courier, "but  returned  to  New  York  in  1824 
and  endeavored  to  start  a  commercial 
school,  but  was  unsuccessful  in  this,  and 
again  returned  to  newspaper  work.  He 
continued  in  newspaper  work  with  varying 
success  until,  at  his  suggestion,  the  "En- 
quirer" was  consolidated  with  another 
paper,  and  became  the  "Courier  and  En- 
quirer," with  James  Watson  Webb  as 
editor  and  Mr.  Bennett  for  assistant.  At 
this  time  this  was  the  leading  American 
newspaper.  He,  however,  severed  his  con- 
nection with  this  newspaper  and  tried, 
without  success,  other  ventures  in  the  line 
of  journalism  until  May  6,  1835,  when  he 
issued  the  first  number  of  the  "New  York 
Herald."  Mr.  Bennett  wrote  the  entire 
paper,  and  made  up  for  lack  of  news  by  his 
own  imagination.     The  paper  became  popu- 


lar, and  in  1838  he  engaged  European  jour- 
nalists as  regular  correspondents.  In  1841 
the  income  derived  from  his  paper  was  at 
least  one  hundred  thousand  dollars.  Dur- 
ing the  Civil  war  the  "  Herald  "  had  on  its 
staff  sixty-three  war  correspondents  and  the 
circulation  was  doubled.  Mr.  Bennett  was 
interested  with  John  W.  Mackay  in  that  great 
enterprise  which  is  now  known  as  the  Mac- 
kay-Bennett  Cable.  He  had  collected  for  use 
in  his  paper  over  fifty  thousand  biographies, 
sketches  and  all  manner  of  information  re- 
garding every  well-known  man,  which  are 
still  kept  in  the  archives  of  the  "Herald" 
office.  He  died  in  the  city  of  New  York  in 
1872,  and  left  to  his  son,  James  Gordon, 
Jr.,  one  of  the  greatest  and  most  profitable 
journals  in  the  United  States,  or  even  in  the 
world. 

OLIVER  WENDELL  HOLMES,  a 
noted  American,  won  distinction  in  the 
field  of  literature,  in  which  he  attained  a 
world-wide  reputation.  He  was  born  at 
Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  August  29,  1809. 
He  received  a  collegiate  education  and  grad- 
uated from  Harvard  in  1829,  at  the  age  of 
twenty,  and  took  up  the  study  of  law  and 
later  studied  medicine.  Dr.  Holmes  at- 
tended several  years  in  the  hospitals  of 
Europe  and  received  his  degree  in  1836. 
He  became  professor  of  anatomy  and  phys- 
iology in  Dartmouth  in  1838,  and  re- 
mained there  until  1847,  when  he  was 
called  to  the  Massachusetts  Medical  School 
at  Boston  to  occupy  the  same  chair,  which 
position  he  resigned  in  1882.  The  first 
collected  edition  of  his  poems  appeared  in 
1836,  and  his  "Phi  Beta  Kappa  Poems," 
"Poetry,"  in  1836;  "Terpsichore,"  in  1843; 
"Urania,"  in  1846,  and  "Astraea,"  won  for 
him  many  fresh  laurels.  His  series  of 
papers   in  the   "Atlantic    Monthly,"    were: 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


207 


"Autocrat  of  the  Breakfast  Table,"  "Pro- 
fessor at  the  Breakfast  Table,"  "Poet  at 
the  Breakfast  Table,"  and  are  a  series  of 
masterly  wit,  humor  and  pathos.  Among 
his  medical  papers  and  addresses,  are:  "Cur- 
rents and  Counter-currents  in  the  Medical 
Science,"  and  "Borderland  in  Some  Prov- 
inces of  Medical  Science."  Mr.  Holmes 
edited  quite  a  number  of  works,  of  which 
we  quote  the  following:  "Else  Venner, " 
"Songs  in  Many  fCeys,"  "Soundings  from 
the  Atlantic,"  "Humorous  Poems,"  "The 
Guardian  Angel,"  "Mechanism  in  Thoughts 
and  Morals,"  "Songs  of  Many  Seasons," 
"John  L.  Motley" — a  memoir,  "The  Iron 
Gate  and  Other  Poems,"  "Ralph  Waldo 
Emerson,"  "A  Moral  Antipathy."  Dr. 
Holmes  visited  England  for  the  second  time, 
and  while  there  the  degree  of  LL.D. 
was  conferred  upon  him  by  the  University 
of  Edinburgh.  His  death  occurred  October 
7.  1894-  

RUFUS  CHOATE,  one  of  the  most  em- 
inent of  America's  great  lawyers,  was 
born  October  i,  1799,  at  Essex,  Massachu- 
setts. He  entered  Dartmouth  in  181 5, 
and  after  taking  his  degree  he  remained  as 
a  teacher  in  the  college  for  one  year.  He 
took  up  the  study  of  law  in  Cambridge,  and 
subsequently  studied  under  the  distinguished 
lawyer,  Mr.  Wirt,  who  was  then  United 
States  attorney-general  at  Washington.  Mr. 
Choatebegan  the  practice  of  law  in  Danvers, 
Massachusetts,  and  from  there  he  went  to 
Salem,  and  afterwards  to  Boston,  Massa- 
chusetts. While  living  at  Salem  he  was 
elected  to  congress  in  1832,  and  later,  in 
1841,  he  was  chosen  United  States  senator 
to  succeed  Daniel  Webster,  Mr.  Webster 
having  been  appointed  secretary  of  state 
under  William  Henry  Harrison. 

After  the  death  of  Webster,  Mr-  Choate 


was  the  acknowledged  leader  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts bar,  and  was  looked  upon  by  the 
younger  members  of  the  profession  with  an 
affection  that  almost  amounted  to  a  rever- 
ence. Mr.  Choate's  powers  as  an  orator 
were  of  the  rarest  order,  and  his  genius 
made  it  possible  for  him  to  enchant  and  in- 
terest his  listeners,  even  while  discussing  the 
most  ordinary  theme.  He  was  not  merely 
eloquent  on  the  subjects  that  were  calculated 
to  touch  the  feelings  and  stir  the  passions 
of  his  audience  in  themselves,  but  could  at 
all  times  command  their  attention.  He  re- 
tired from  active  life  in  1858,  and  was  on 
his  way  to  Europe,  his  physician  having 
ordered  a  sea  voyage  for  his  health,  but  had 
only  reached  Halifax,  Nova  Scotia,  when 
he  died,  July   13,   1858. 


D WIGHT  L.  MOODY,  one  of  the  most 
noted  and  effective  pulpit  orators  and 
evangelists  America  has  produced,  was  born 
in  Northfield,  Franklin  county,  Massachu- 
setts, February  5,  1837.  He  received  but 
a  meager  education  and  worked  on  a  farm 
until  seventeen  years  of  age,  when  he  be- 
came clerk  in  a  boot  and  shoe  store  in 
Boston.  Soon  after  this  he  joined  the  Con- 
gregational church  and  went  to  Chicago, 
where  he  zealously  engaged  in  missionary 
work  among  the  poor  classes.  He  met 
with  great  success,  and  in  less  than  a  year 
he  built  up  a  Sunday-school  which  numbered 
over  one  thousand  children.  When  the 
war  broke  out  he  became  connected  with 
what  was  known  as  the  "Christian  Com- 
mission," and  later  became  city  missionary 
of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  at 
Chicago.  A  church  was  built  there  for  his 
converts  and  he  became  its  unordained  pas- 
tor. In  the  Chicago  fire  of  1871  the  church 
and  Mr.  Moody's  house  and  furniture,  which 
had  been  given  him,  were  destroyed.     The 


208 


coyfPExnn^r  of  btographt. 


church  edifice  was  afterward  replaced  by  a 
new  church  erected  on  the  site  of  the  old 
one.  In  1873,  accompanied  by  Ira  D. 
Sankey,  Mr.  Moody  went  to  Europe  and 
excited  great  religious  awakenings  through- 
out England,  Ireland  and  Scotland.  In 
1S75  they  returned  to  America  and  held 
large  meetings  in  various  cities.  They 
afterward  made  another  visit  to  Great 
Britain  for  the  same  purpose,  meeting  with 
great  success,  returning  to  the  United  States 
in  1884.  Mr.  Moody  afterward  continued 
his  evangelistic  work,  meeting  everywhere 
with  a  warm  reception  and  success.  Mr. 
Moody  produced  a  number  of  works,  some 
of  which  had  a  wide  circulation. 


TOHNPIERPONT  MORGAN,  a  financier 
vJ  of  world-wide  reputation,  and  famous 
as  the  head  of  one  of  the  largest  banking 
houses  in  the  world,  was  born  April  17, 
1837,  at  Hartford,  Connecticut.  He  re- 
ceived his  early  education  in  the  English 
high  school,  in  Boston,  and  later  supple- 
mented this  with  a  course  in  the  University 
of  Gottingen,  Germany.  He  returned  to 
the  United  States,  in  1S57,  and  entered  the 
banking  firm  of  Duncan,  Sherman  &  Co., 
of  New  York,  and,  in  i860,  he  became 
agent  and  attorney,  in  the  United  States,  for 
George  Peabody  &  Co.,  of  London.  He 
became  the  junior  partner  in  the  banking 
firm  of  Dabney,  Morgan  &  Co.,  in  1864, 
and  that  of  Drexel,  Morgan  &  Co.,  in  1871. 
This  house  was  among  the  chief  negotiators 
of  railroad  bonds,  and  was  active  in  the  re- 
organization of  the  West  Shore  Railroad, 
and  its  absorption  by  the  New  York  Central 
Railroad.  It  was  conspicuous  in  the  re- 
organization of  the  Philadelphia  &  Read- 
ing Railroad,  in  1887,  which  a  syndicate  of 
capitalists,  formed  by  Mr.  Morgan,  placed 
on  a  sound  financial  basis.      After  that  time 


many  other  lines  of  railroad  and  gigantic 
financial  enterprises  were  brought  under  Mr. 
Morgan's  control,  and  in  some  respects  it 
maybe  said  he  became  the  foremost  financier 
of  the  century. 


THOMAS  BRACKETT  REED,  one  of 
the  most  eminent  of  American  states- 
men, was  born  October  18,  1839,  at  Port- 
land, Maine,  where  he  received  his  early 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  the 
city,  and  prepared  himself  for  college.  Mr. 
Reed  graduated  from  Bowdoin  College  in 
i860,  and  won  one  of  the  highest  honors  of 
the  college,  the  prize  for  excellence  in  Eng- 
lish composition.  The  following  four  years 
were  spent  by  him  in  teaching  and  in  the 
study  of  law.  Before  his  admission  to  the 
bar,  however,  he  was  acting  assistant  pay- 
master in  the  United  States  navy,  and 
served  on  the  "tin-clad"  Sybil,  which  pa- 
trolled the  Tennessee,  Cumberland  and 
Mississippi  rivers.  After  his  discharge  in 
1865,  he  returned  to  Portland,  was  admit- 
ted to  the  bar,  and  began  the  practice  of  his 
profession.  He  entered  into  political  life, 
and  in  1868  was  elected  to  the  legislature 
of  Maine  as  a  Republican,  and  in  1869  he 
was  re-elected  to  the  house,  and  in  1870 
was  made  state  senator,  from  which  he 
passed  to  attorney-general  of  the  state. 
He  retired  from  this  office  in  1873,  and 
until  1877  he  was  solicitor  for  the  city 
of  Portland.  In  1876  he  was  elected  to 
the  forty-fifth  congress,  which  assembled 
in  1877.  Mr.  Reed  sprung  into  prominence 
in  that  body  by  one  of  the  first  speeches 
which  he  delivered,  and  his  long  service  in 
congress,  coupled  with  his  ability,  gave  him 
a  national  reputation.  His  influence  each 
year  became  more  strongly  marked,  and  the 
leadership  of  his  party  was  finally  conceded 
to  him,  and  in  the  forty-ninth  and  fiftieth 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRArHT. 


209 


congresses  the  complimentary  nomination 
for  the  speakership  was  tendered  him  by  the 
RepubHcans.  That  party  having  obtained 
the  ascendency  in  the  fifty-first  congress  he 
was  elected  speaker  on  the  first  ballot,  and 
he  was  again  chosen  speaker  of  the  fifty- 
fourth  and  fifth-fifth  congresses.  As  a 
writer,  Mr.  Reed  contributed  largely  to  the 
magazines  and  periodicals,  and  his  book 
upon  parliamentary  rules  is  generally  rec- 
ognized as  authority  on  that  subject. 


CLARA  BARTON  is  a  celebrated  char- 
acter among  what  might  be  termed  as 
the  highest  grade  of  philanthropists  Amer- 
ica has  produced.  She  was  born  on  a  farm 
at  Oxford,  Massachusetts,  a  daughter  of 
Captain  Stephen  Barton,  and  was  educated 
at  Clinton,  New  York.  She  engaged  in 
teaching  early  in  life,  and  founded  a  free 
school  at  Bordentown,  the  first  in  New  Jer- 
sey. She  opened  with  six  pupils,  but  the 
attendance  had  grown  to  six  hundred  up  to 
1854,  when  she  went  to  Washington.  She 
was  appointed  clerk  in  the  patent  depart- 
ment, and  remained  there  until  the  out- 
break of  the  Civil  war,  when  she  resigned 
her  position  and  devoted  herself  to  the  al- 
leviation of  the  sufferings  of  the  soldiers, 
serving,  not  in  the  hospitals,  but  on  the  bat- 
tle field.  She  was  present  at  a  number  of 
battles,  and  after  the  war  closed  she  origi- 
nated, and  for  some  time  carried  on  at  her 
own  expense,  the  search  for  missing  soldiers. 
She  then  for  several  years  devoted  her  time 
to  lecturing  on  "Incidents  of  the  War." 
About  1868  she  went  to  Europe  for  her 
health,  and  settled  in  Switzerland,  but  on  the 
outbreak  of  the  Franco-German  war  she  ac- 
cepted the  invitation  of  the  grand  duchess 
of  Baden  to  aid  in  the  establishment  of  her 
hospitals,  and  Miss  Barton  afterward  fol- 
lowed the  German  army      She  was  deco- 


rated with  the  golden  cross  by  the  grand 
duke  of  Baden,  and  with  the  iron  cross  by 
the  emperor  of  Germany.  She  also  served 
for  many  years  as  president  of  the  famous 
Red  Cross  Society  and  attained  a  world- 
wide reputation. 


CARDINAL  JAMES  GIBBONS,  one  of 
the  most  eminent  Catholic  clergymen 
in  America,  was  born  in  Baltimore,  Mary- 
land, July  23,  1834.  He  was  given  a 
thorough  education,  graduated  at  St.  Charles 
College,  Maryland,  in  1857,  and  studied 
theology  in  St.  Mary's  Seminary,  Baltimore, 
Maryland.  In  1861  he  became  pastor  of 
St.  Bridget's  church  in  Baltimore,  and  in 
1868  was  consecrated  vicar  apostolic  of 
North  Carolina.  In  1872  our  subject  be- 
came bishop  of  Richmond,  Virginia,  and 
five  years  later  was  made  archbishop  of  Bal- 
timore. On  the  30th  of  June,  1886,  he 
was  admitted  to  the  full  degree  of  cardinal 
and  primate  of  the  American  Catholic 
church.  He  was  a  fluent  writer,  and  his 
book,  "  Faith  of  Our  Fathers,"  had  a  wide 
circulation. 

CHAUNCEY  MITCHELL  DEPEW.— 
This  name  is,  without  doubt,  one  of 
the  most  widely  known  in  the  United  States. 
Mr.  Depew  was  born  April  23,  1834,  at 
Peekskill,  New  York,  the  home  of  the  Depew 
family  for  two  hundred  years.  He  attended 
the  common  schools  of  his  native  place, 
where  he  prepared  himself  to  enter  college. 
He  began  his  collegiate  course  at  Yale  at 
the  age  of  eighteen  and  graduated  in  1856. 
He  early  took  an  active  interest  in  politics 
and  joined  the  Republican  party  at  its  for- 
mation. He  then  took  up  the  study  of  law 
and  went  into  the  office  of  the  Hon.  Will- 
iam Nelson,  of  Peekskill,  for  that  purpose, 
and  in  1858  he  was   admitted  to  the  bar. 


Slu 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


He  was  sent  as  a  delep;ate  by  the  new  party 
to  the  Republican  state  convention  of  that 
year.  He  began  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion in  1859,  but  thougli  he  was  a  good 
worker,  his  attention  was  detracted  by  the 
campaign  of  i860,  in  which  he  took  an  act- 
ive part.  During  this  campaign  he  gained 
his  first  laurels  as  a  public  speaker.  Mr. 
Depew  was  elected  assemblyman  in  1862 
from  a  Democratic  district.  In  1863  he  se- 
cured the  nomination  for  secretary  of  state, 
and  gained  that  post  by  a  majority  of  thirty 
thousand.  In  1866  he  left  the  field  of  pol- 
itics and  entered  into  the  active  practice 
of  his  law  business  as  attorney  for  the 
New  York  &  Harlem  Railroad  Company, 
and  in  1869  when  this  road  was  consoli- 
dated with  the  New  York  Central,  and 
called  the  New  York  Central  &  Hudson 
River  Railroad,  he  was  appointed  the  attor- 
ney for  the  new  road.  His  rise  in  the  rail- 
road business  was  rapid,  and  ten  years  after 
his  entrance  into  the  \'anderbilt  system  as 
attorney  for  a  single  line,  he  was  the  gen- 
eral counsel  for  one  of  the  largest  railroad 
systems  in  the  world.  He  was  also  a 
director  in  the  Lake  Shore  &  Michigan 
Southern,  Michigan  Central,  Chicago  & 
Northwestern,  St.  Paul  &  Omaha,  West 
Shore,  and  Nickel  Plate  railroad  companies. 
In  1874  Mr.  Depew  was  made  regent  of 
the  State  University,  and  a  member  of  the 
commission  appointed  to  superintend  the 
erection  of  the  capitol  at  Albany.  In  1882, 
on  the  resignation  of  W.  H.  Vanderbilt 
from  the  presidency  of  the  New  York  Cen- 
tral and  the  accession  to  that  office  by 
James  H.  Rutter,  Mr.  Depew  was  made 
second  vice-president,  and  held  that  posi- 
tion until  the  death  of  Mr.  Rutter  in  1885. 
In  this  year  Mr.  Depew  became  the  execu- 
tive head  of  this  great  corporation.  Mr. 
i")epew's  greatest  fame  grew  from  his  ability 


and  eloquence  as  an  orator  and  "  after-din- 
ner speaker, "  and  it  has  been  said  by  emi- 
nent critics  that  this  country  has  never  pro- 
duced his  equal  in  wit,  fluency  and  eloquence. 


PHILIP  KEARNEY.— Among  the  most 
dashing  and  brilliant  commanders  in 
the  United  States  service,  few  have  outshone 
the  talented  officer  whose  name  heads  this 
sketch.  He  was  born  in  New  York  City, 
June  2,  1815,  and  was  of  Irish  ancestry  and 
imbued  with  all  the  dash  and  bravery  of  the 
Celtic  race.  He  graduated  from  Columbia 
College  and  studied  law,  but  in  1837  ac- 
cepted a  commission  as  lieutenant  in  the 
First  United  States  Dragoons,  of  which  his 
uncle,  Stephen  \V.  Kearney,  was  then  colo- 
nel. He  was  sent  by  the  government, 
soon  after,  to  Europe  to  examine  and  report 
upon  the  tactics  of  the  French  cavalry. 
There  he  attended  the  Polytechnic  School, 
at  Samur,  and  subsequently  served  as  a  vol- 
unteer in  Algiers,  winning  the  cross  of  the 
Legion  of  Honor.  He  returned  to  the 
United  States  in  1840,  and  on  the  staf?  of 
General  Scott,  in  the  Mexican  war,  served 
with  great  gallantry.  He  was  made  a  cap- 
tain of  dragoons  in  1846  and  made  major 
for  services  at  Contreras  and  Cherubusco. 
In  the  final  assault  on  the  City  of  Mexico 
at  the  San  Antonio  Gate,  Kearney  lost  an 
arm.  He  subsequently  served  in  California 
and  tlie  Pacific  coast.  In  1851  he  resigned 
his  commission  and  went  to  Europe,  where 
he  resumed  his  military  studies.  In  the 
Italian  war,  in  1859,  he  served  as  a  volun- 
teer on  the  staff  of  General  Maurier,  of  the 
French  army,  and  took  part  in  the  battles 
of  Solferino  and  Magenta,  and  for  bravery 
was,  for  the  second  time,  decorated  with 
the  cross  of  the  Legion  of  Honor.  On  the 
opening  of  the  Civil  war  he  hastened  home, 
and,  offering  his  services  to  the  general  gov- 


COMPENDIUM   OF    BIOGRAPHY. 


211 


erntnent,  was  made  brigadier-general  of 
volunteers  and  placed  in  command  of  a  bri- 
gade of  New  Jersey  troops.  In  the  cam- 
paign under  McClellan  he  commanded  a  di- 
vision, and  at  Williamsburg  and  Fair  Oaks 
his  services  were  valuable  and  brilliant,  as 
well  as  in  subsequent  engagements.  At 
Harrison's  Landing  he  was  made  major-gen- 
eral of  volunteers.  In  the  second  battle  of 
Bull  Run  he  was  conspicuous,  and  at  the 
battle  of  Chantilly,  September  i,  1862, 
while  leading  in  advance  of  his  troops,  Gen- 
eral Kearney  was  shot  and  killed. 


RUSSELL  SAGE,  one  of  the  financial 
giants  of  the  present  century  and  for 
more  than  an  average  generation  one  of  the 
most  conspicuous  and  celebrated  of  Ameri- 
cans, was  born  in  a  frontier  hamlet  in  cen- 
tral New  York  in  August,  18 16.  While  Rus- 
sell was  still  a  boy  an  elder  brother,  Henry 
Risley  Sage,  established  a  small  grocery 
store  at  Troy,  New  York,  and  here  Russell 
found  his  first  employment,  as  errand  boy. 
He  served  a  five-years  apprenticeship,  and 
then  joined  another  brother,  Elisha  M.  Sage, 
in  a  new  venture  in  the  same  line,  which 
proved  profitable,  at  least  for  Russell,  who 
soon  became  its  sole  owner.  Next  he 
formed  the  partnership  of  Sage  &  Bates, 
and  greatly  extended  his  field  of  operations. 
At  twenty-five  he  had,  by  his  own  exertions, 
amassed  what  was,  in  those  days,  a  consid- 
erable fortune,  being  worth  about  seventy- 
five  thousand  dollars.  He  had  acquired  an 
influence  in  local  politics,  and  four  years 
later  his  party,  the  Whigs,  elected  him  to 
the  aldermanic  board  of  Troy  and  to  the 
treasuryship  of  Rensselaer  county.  In  1848 
he  was  a  prominent  member  of  the  New 
York  delegation  to  the  Whig  convention  at 
Philadelphia,  casting  his  first  votes  for  Henry 
Clay,  but   joining  the    "stampede"   which 


nominated  Zachary  Taylor.  In  1850  the 
Whigs  of  Troy  nominated  him  for  congress, 
but  he  was  not  elected — a  failure  which  he 
retrieved  two  years  later,  and  in  1854  he 
was  re-elected  by  a  sweeping  majority.  At 
Washington  he  ranked  high  in  influence  and 
ability.  Fame  as  a  speaker  and  as  a  polit- 
ical leader  was  within  his  grasp,  when  he 
gave  up  public  life,  dechned  a  renomination 
to  congress,  and  went  back  to  Troy  to  de- 
vote himself  to  his  private  business.  Six 
years  later,  in  1863,  he  removed  to  New 
York  and  plunged  into  the  arena  of  Wall 
street.  A  man  of  boundless  energy  and 
tireless  pertinacity,  with  wonderful  judg- 
ment of  men  and  things,  he  soon  took  his 
place  as  a  king  in  finance,  and,  it  is  said, 
during  the  latter  part  of  his  life  he  con- 
trolled more  ready  money  than  any  other 
single  individual  on  this  continent. 


ROGER  QUARLES  MILLS,  a  noted 
United  States  senator  and  famous  as  the 
father  of  the  "Mills  tariff  bill,  "was  born 
in  Todd  county,  Kentucky,  March  30,  1832. 
He  received  a  liberal  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools,  and  removed  to  Palestine, 
Texas,  in  1849.  He  took  up  the  study  of 
law,  and  supported  himself  by  serving  as  an 
assistant  in  the  post-office,  and  in  the  offices 
of  the  court  clerks.  In  1850  he  was  elected 
engrossing  clerk  of  the  Texas  house  of  rep- 
resentatives, and  in  1852  was  admitted  to 
the  bar,  while  still  a  minor,  by  special  act 
of  the  legislature.  He  then  settled  at  Cor- 
sicana,  Texas,  and  began  the  active  prac- 
tice of  his  profession.  He  was  elected  to 
the  state  legislature  in  1859,  and  in  1872  he 
was  elected  to  congress  from  the  state  at 
large,  as  a  Democrat.  After  his  first  elec- 
tion he  was  continuously  returned  to  con- 
gress until  he  resigned  to  accept  the  posi- 
tion of  United  States  senator,  to  which  he 


212 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPlir. 


was  elected  March  23,  1892,  to  succeed 
Hon.  Horace  Chilton.  He  took  his  seat  in 
the  senate  March  30,  1892;  was  afterward 
re-elected  and  ranked  among  the  most  use- 
ful and  prominent  members  of  that  body. 
In  1876  he  opposed  the  creation  of  the  elec- 
toral commission,  and  in  1887  canvassed 
the  state  of  Te.xas  against  the  adoption  of 
a  prohibition  amendment  to  its  constitution, 
which  was  defeated.  He  introduced  into 
the  house  of  representatives  the  bill  that  was 
known  as  the  "Mills  Bill,"  reducing  duties 
on  imports,  and  extending  the  free  list. 
The  bill  passed  the  house  on  July  21,  1888, 
and  made  the  name  of  "Mills"  famous 
throughout  the  entire  country. 


HAZEN  S.  PINGREE,  the  celebrated 
Michigan  political  leader,  was  born  in 
Maine  in  1842.  Up  to  fourteen  years  of 
age  he  worked  hard  on  the  stony  ground  of 
his  father's  small  farm.  Attending  school 
in  the  winter,  he  gained  a  fair  education, 
and  when  not  laboring  on  the  farm,  he 
found  employment  in  the  cotton  mills  in  the 
vicinity.  He  resolved  to  find  more  steady 
work,  and  accordingly  went  to  Hopkinton, 
Massachusetts,  where  he  entered  a  shoe  fac- 
tory, but  on  the  outbreak  of  the  war  he  en- 
listed at  once  and  was  enrolled  in  the  First 
Massachusetts  Heavy  Artillery.  He  partici- 
pated in  the  battle  of  Bull  Run,  which  was 
his  initial  fight,  and  served  creditably  his 
early  term  of  service,  at  the  expiration  of 
which  he  re-enlisted.  He  fought  in  the 
battles  of  Fredricksburg,  Harris  Farm, 
Spottsylvania  Court  House  and  Cold  Har- 
bor. In  1864  he  was  captured  by  Mosby, 
and  spent  five  months  at  Andersonville, 
Georgia,  as  a  prisoner,  but  escaped  at  the 
end  of  that  time.  He  re-entered  the  service 
and  participated  in  the  battles  of  Fort 
Fisher,  Boyden,    and    Sailor's    Creek.      He 


was  honorably  mustered  out  of  service,  and 
in  1866  went  to  l^etroit,  Michigan,  where 
he  made  use  of  his  former  experience  in  a 
shoe  factory,  and  found  work.  Later  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  another  workman 
and  started  a  small  factory,  which  has  since 
become  a  large  establishment.  Mr.  Pin- 
gree  made  his  entrance  into  politics  in  1889, 
in  which  year  he  was  elected  by  a  surpris- 
ingly large  majority  as  a  Republican  to  the 
mayoralty  of  Detroit,  in  which  office  he  was 
the  incumbent  during  four  consecutive  terms. 
In  November,  1896,  he  was  elected  gov- 
ernor of  the  state  of  Michigan.  While 
mayor  of  Detroit,  Mr.  Pingree  originated 
and  put  into  execution  the  idea  of  allowing 
the  poor  people  of  the  city  the  use  of  va- 
cant city  lands  and  lots  for  the  purpose  of 
raising  potatoes.  The  idea  was  enthusiast- 
ically adopted  by  thousands  of  poor  families, 
attracted  wide  attention,  and  gave  its  author 
a  national  reputation  as  "Potato-patch  Pin- 
gree."   

THOMAS  ANDREW  HENDRICKS,  an 
eminent  American  statesman  and  a 
Democratic  politician  of  national  fame,  was 
born  in  Muskingum  county,  Ohio,  Septem- 
ber 7,  1 8 19.  In  1822  he  removed,  with  his 
father,  to  Shelby  county,  Indiana.  He 
graduated  from  the  South  Hanover  College 
in  1 841,  and  two  years  later  was  admitted 
to  the  bar.  In  1851  he  was  chosen  a  mem- 
ber of  the  state  constitutional  convention, 
and  took  a  leading  part  in  the  deliberations 
of  that  body.  He  was  elected  to  congress 
in  185 1,  and  after  serving  two  terms  was 
appointed  commissioner  of  the  United  States 
general  land-office.  In  1863  he  was  elected 
to  the  United  States  senate,  where  his  dis- 
tinguished services  commanded  the  respect 
of  all  parties.  He  was  elected  governor  of 
Indiana  in    1872,  serving  four  years,  and  in 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


213 


1876  was  nominated  by  the  Democrats  as 
candidate  for  the  vice-presidency  with  Til- 
den.  The  returns  in  a  number  of  states 
were  contested,  and  resulted  in  the  appoint- 
ment of  the  famous  electoral  commission, 
which  decided  in  favor  of  the  Republican 
candidates.  In  1884  Mr.  Hendricks  was 
again  nominated  as  candidate  for  the  vice- 
presidency,  by  the  Democratic  party,  on  the 
ticket  with  Grover  Cleveland,  was  elected, 
and  served  about  six  months.  He  died  at 
Indianapolis,  November  25,  1885.  Hewas 
regarded  as  one  of  the  brainiest  men  in  the 
party,  and  his  integrity  was  never  ques- 
tioned, even  by  his  political  opponents. 


GARRETT  A.  HOBART,  one  of  the 
many  able  men  who  have  held  the 
high  office  of  vice-president  of  the  United 
States,  was  born  June  3,  1844,  in  Mon- 
mouth county.  New  Jersey,  and  in  i860  en- 
tered the  sophomore  class  at  Rutgers  Col- 
lege, from  which  he  graduated  in  1863  at 
the  age  of  nineteen.  He  then  taught 
school  until  he  entered  the  law  office  of 
Socrates  Tuttle,  of  Paterson,  New  Jersey, 
with  whom  he  studied  law,  and  in  1869 
was  admitted  to  the  bar.  He  immediately 
began  the  active  practice  of  his  profession 
in  the  office  of  the  above  named  gentleman. 
He  became  interested  in  political  life,  and 
espoused  the  cause  of  the  Republican  party, 
and  in  1865  held  his  first  office,  serving  as 
clerk  for  the  grand  jury.  He  was  also  city 
counsel  of  Paterson  in  1871,  and  in  May, 
1872,  was  elected  counsel  for  the  board  of 
chosen  freeholders.  He  entered  the  state 
legislature  in  1873,  and  was  re-elected  to 
the  assembly  in  1874.  Mr.  Hobart  was 
made  speaker  of  the  assembly  in  1876,  and 
and  in  1879  was  elected  to  the  state  senate. 
After  serving  three  years  in  the  same,  he 
was  elected  president  of  that  body  in  1881, 


and  the  following  year  was  re-elected  to 
that  office.  He  was  a  delegate-at-large  to 
the  Republican  national  convention  in  1876 
and  1880,  and  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
national  committee  in  1884,  which  pos'tion 
he  occupied  continuously  until  1896.  He 
was  then  nominated  for  vice-president  by 
the  Republican  national  convention,  and 
was  elected  to  that  office  in  the  fall  of  1896 
on  the  ticket  with  William  McKinley. 


WILLIAM  MORRIS  STEWART,  noted 
as  a  political  leader  and  senator,  was 
born  in  Lyons,  Wayne  county.  New  York, 
August  9,  1827,  and  removed  with  his  par- 
ents while  still  a  small  child  to  Mesopota- 
mia township,  Trumbull  county,  Ohio.  He 
attended  the  Lyons  Union  school  and  Farm- 
ington  Academy,  where  he  obtained  his  ed- 
ucation. Later  he  taught  mathematics  in 
the  former  school,  while  yet  a  pupil,  and 
with  the  little  money  thus  earned  and  the 
assistance  of  James  C.  Smith,  one  of  the 
judges  of  the  supreme  court  of  New  York, 
he  entered  Yale  College.  He  remained 
there  until  the  winter  of  1849-50,  when,  at- 
tracted by  the  gold  discoveries  in  California 
he  wended  his  way  thither.  He  arrived  at 
San  Francisco  in  May,  1850,  and  later  en- 
gaged in  mining  with  pick  and  shovel  in  Ne- 
vada county.  In  this  way  he  accumulated 
some  money,  and  in  the  spring  of  1852  he 
took  up  the  study  of  law  under  John  R. 
McConnell.  The  following  December  he 
was  appointed  district  attorney,  to  which 
office  he  was  chosen  at  the  general  election 
of  the  next  year.  In  1854  he  was  ap- 
pointed attorney-general  of  California,  and 
in  i860  he  removed  to  Virginia  City,  Ne- 
vada, where  he  largely  engaged  in  early 
mining  litigation.  Mr.  Stewart  was  also  in- 
terested in  the  development  of  the  "Corn- 
stock   lode,"    and   in    i86r    was    chosen   a 


;i4 


COMPENDIUM    OF    ]i  I OC,  U  A  I' 1 1 )'. 


(iiciiiber  of  the  territorial  council.  He  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  constitutional  con- 
vention in  1863,  and  was  elected  United 
States  senator  in  1864,  and  re-elected  in 
1869.  At  the  expiration  of  his  term  in 
1875,  he  resumed  the  practice  of  law  in 
Nevada,  California,  and  the  Pacific  coast 
generally.  He  was  thus  engaged  when  he 
was  elected  again  to  the  United  States  sen- 
ate as  a  Republican  in  1887  to  succeed  the 
late  James  G.  Fair,  a  Democrat,- and  took 
his  seat  March  4,  1S87.  On  the  expiration 
of  his  term  he  was  again  re-elected  and  be- 
came one  of  the  leaders  of  his  party  in  con- 
gress. His  ability  as  an  orator,  and  the 
prominent  part  he  took  in  the  discussion  of 
public  questions,  gained  him  a  national  rep- 
utation. 

GEORGE  GRAHAM  VEST,  for  many 
years  a  prominent  member  of  the 
United  States  senate,  was  born  in  Frank- 
fort, Kentucky,  December  6,  1848.  He 
graduated  from  Center  College  in  1868,  and 
from  the  law  department  of  the  Transyl- 
vania University  of  Lexington,  Kentucky, 
in  1853.  In  the  same  year  he  removed  to 
Missouri  and  began  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession. In  i860  he  was  an  elector  on  the 
Democratic  ticket,  and  was  a  member  of 
the  lower  house  of  the  Missouri  legislature 
in  1860-61  He  was  elected  to  the  Con- 
federate congress,  serving  two  years  in  the 
lower  house  and  one  in  the  senate.  He 
then  resumed  the  practice  of  law,  and  in 
1879  was  elected  to  the  senate  of  the  United 
States  to  succeed  James  Shields.  He  was 
re-elected  in  1885,  and  again  in  1891  and 
1S97.  His  many  years  of  service  in  the 
National  congress,  coupled  with  his  ability 
as  a  speaker  and  the  active  part  he  took  in 
the  discussion  of  public  questions,  gave  him 
a  wide  reputation. 


HANNIBAL  HAMLIN,  a  noted  American 
statesman,  whose  name  is  indissolubly 
connected  with  the  history  of  this  country, 
was  born  in  Paris,  Maine,  August  27,  1809. 
He  learned  the  printer's  trade  and  followed 
that  calling  for  several  years.  He  then 
studied  law,  and  was  admitted  to  practice 
in  1833.  He  was  elected  to  the  legislature 
of  the  state  of  Maine,  where  he  was  several 
times  chosen  speaker  of  the  lower  house. 
He  was  elected  to  congress  by  the  Demo- 
crats in  1843,  and  re-elected  in  1845.  I" 
1848  he  was  chosen  to  the  United  States 
senate  and  served  in  that  body  until  1861. 
He  was  elected  governor  of  Maine  in  1857 
on  the  Republican  ticket,  but  resigned  when 
re-elected  to  the  United  States  senate 
the  same  year.  He  was  elected  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  United  States  on  the  ticket  with 
Lincoln  in  i860,  and  inaugurated  in  March, 
1 861.  In  1865  he  was  appointed  collector 
of  the  port  of  Boston.  Beginning  with 
1869  he  served  two  six-year  terms  in  the 
United  States  senate,  and  was  then  ap- 
pointed by  President  Garfield  as  minister  to 
Spain  in  1881.  His  death  occurred  July  4, 
1 891. 

TSHAM  G.  HARRIS,  famous  as  Confed- 
1  erate  war  governor  of  Tennessee,  and 
distinguished  by  his  twenty  years  of  service 
in  the  senate  of  the  United  States,  was 
born  in  Franklin  county,  Tennessee,  and 
educated  at  the  Academy  of  Winchester. 
He  then  took  up  the  study  of  law,  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar,  and  commenced  practice 
at  Paris,  Tennessee,  in  1841.  He  was 
elected  to  the  state  legislature  in  1847,  was 
a  candidate  for  presidential  elector  on  the 
Democratic  ticket  in  1848,  and  the  next 
year  was  elected  to  congress  from  his  dis- 
trict, and  re-elected  in  185 1.  In  1853  he 
was  renominated  by  the   Democrats  of  his 


COMPENDIUM   OF   BIOGRAPHY. 


215 


district,  but  declined,  and  removed  to  Mem- 
phis, where  he  took  up  the  practice  of  law. 
He  was  a  presidential  elector-at-large  from 
Tennessee  in  1856,  and  was  elected  gov- 
ernor of  the  state  the  next  year,  and  again 
in  1859,  and  in  1861.  He  was  driven  from 
Nashville  by  the  advance  of  the  Union 
armies,  and  for  the  last  three  years  of  the 
war  acted  as  aid  upon  the  staff  of  the  com- 
manding general  of  the  Confederate  army 
of  Tennessee.  After  the  war  he  went  to 
Liverpool,  England,  where  he  became  a 
merchant,  but  returned  to  Memphis  in  1867, 
and  resumed  the  practice  of  law.  In  1877 
he  was  elected  to  the  United  States  senate, 
to  which  position  he  was  successively  re- 
elected until  his  death  in  1897. 


NELSON  DINGLEY,  Jr.,  for  nearly  a 
quarter  of  a  century  one  of  the  leaders 
in  congress  and  framer  of  the  famous 
"  Dingley  tariff  bill,"  was  born  in  Durham, 
Maine,  in  1832.  His  father  as  well  as  all 
his  ancestors,  were  farmers,  merchants  and 
mechanics  and  of  English  descent.  Young 
Dingley  was  given  the  advantages  first  of 
the  common  schools  and  in  vacations  helped 
his  father  in  the  store  and  on  the  farm. 
When  twelve  years  of  age  he  attended  high 
school  and  at  seventeen  was  teaching  in  a 
country  school  district  and  preparing  him- 
self for  college.  The  following  year  he  en- 
tered Waterville  Academy  and  in  1851  en- 
tered Colby  University.  After  a  year  and  a 
half  in  this  institution  he  entered  Dart- 
mouth College  and  was  graduated  in  1855 
with  high  rank  as  a  scholar,  debater  and 
writer.  He  next  studied  law  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  1856.  But  instead  of 
practicing  his  profession  he  purchased  the 
"  Lewistown  (Me.)  Journal,"  which  be- 
came famous  throughout  the  New  England 
states  as  a  leader  in  the  advocacy  of  Repub- 


lican principles.  About  the  same  time  Mr. 
Dingley  began  his  political  career,  although 
ever  after  continuing  at  the  head  of  the 
newspaper.  He  was  soon  elected  to  the 
state  legislature  and  afterward  to  the  lower 
house  of  congress,  where  he  became  a 
prominent  national  character.  He  also 
served  two  terms  as  governor  of  Maine. 


OLIVER  PERRY  MORTON,  a  distin- 
guished American  statesman,  was  born 
in  Wayne  county,  Indiana,  August  4,  1823. 
His  early  education  was  by  private  teaching 
and  a  course  at  the  Wayne  County  Seminary. 
At  the  age  of  twenty  years  he  entered  the 
Miami  University  at  Oxford,  Ohio,  and  at 
the  end  of  two  years  quit  the  college,  began 
the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  John  New- 
man, of  Centerville,  Indiana,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  1847. 

Mr.  Morton  was  elected  judge  on  the 
Democratic  ticket,  in  1852,  but  on  thi 
passage  of  the  "  Kansas-Nebraska  Bill "  he 
severed  his  connection  with  that  party,  and 
soon  became  a  prominent  leader  of  the  Re- 
publicans. He  was  elected  governor  of  In- 
diana in  1 86 1,  and  as  war  governor  became 
well  known  throughout  the  country.  He 
received  a  paralytic  stroke  in  1865,  which 
partially  deprived  him  of  the  use  of  his 
limbs.  He  was  chosen  to  the  United  States 
senate  from  Indiana,  in  1867,  and  wielded 
great  influence  in  that  body  until  the  time 
of  his  death,  November  i,   1877. 


JOHN  B.  GORDON,  a  brilliant  Confeder- 
ateofficer  and  noted senatoroftheUnited 
States,  was  born  in  Upson  county,  Georgia, 
February  6,  1832.  He  graduated  from  the 
State  University,  studied  law,  and  took  up 
the  practice  of  his  profession.  At  the  be- 
ginning of  the  war  he  entered  the  Confederate 
service  as  captain  of  infantry,  and  rapidly 


210 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


rose  to  the  rank  of  lieutenant-general, 
commanding  one  wing  of  the  Confederate 
army  at  the  close  of  the  war.  In  1868  he 
was  Democratic  candidate  for  governor  of 
Georgia,  and  it  is  said  was  elected  by  a  large 
majority,  but  his  opponent  was  given  the 
office.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the  national 
Democratic  conventions  in  1868  and  1872, 
and  a  presidential  elector  both  years.  In 
1873  he  was  elected  to  the  United  States 
senate.  In  1886  he  was  elected  governor 
of  Georgia,  and  re-elected  in  1888.  He 
was  again  elected  to  the  United  States 
senate  in  1890,  serving  until  1897,  when  he 
was  succeeded  by  A.  S.  Clay.  He  was 
regarded  as  a  leader  of  the  southern  Democ- 
racy, and  noted  for  his  fiery  eloquence. 


STEPHEN  JOHNSON  FIELD,  an  illus- 
trious associate  justice  of  the  supreme 
court  of  the  United  States,  was  born  at 
Haddam,  Connecticut,  November  4,  1816, 
being  one  of  the  noted  sons  of  Rev.  D. 
D.  Field.  He  graduated  from  Williams 
College  in  1837.  took  up  the  study  of  law 
with  his  brother,  David  Dudley  Field,  be- 
coming his  partner  upon  admission  to  the 
bar.  He  went  to  California  in  1849,  and  at 
once  began  to  take  an  active  interest  in  the 
political  affairs  of  that  state.  He  was 
elected  alcalde  of  Marysville,  in  1850,  and 
in  the  autumn  of  the  same  year  was  elected 
to  the  state  legislature.  In  1857  he  was 
elected  judge  of  the  supreme  court  of  the 
state,  and  two  years  afterwards  became  its 
chief  justice.  In  1863  he  was  appointed  by 
President  Lincoln  as  associate  justice  of  the 
supreme  court  of  the  United  States.  During 
his  incumbency,  in  1873,  he  was  appointed 
by  the  governor  of  California  one  of  a  com- 
mission to  examine  the  codes  of  the  state 
and  for  the  preparation  of  amendments  to 
the  same  for  submission  to  the   legislature. 


In  1877  he  was  one  of  the  famous  electoral 
commission  of  fifteen  members,  and  voted 
as  one  of  the  seven  favoring  the  election  of 
Tilden  to  the  presidency.  In  1880  a  large 
portion  of  the  Democratic  party  favored  his 
nomination  as  candidate  for  the  presidency. 
He  retired  in  the  fall  of  1897,  having 
served  a  greater  number  of  years  on  the 
supreme  bench  than  any  of  his  associates  or 
predecessors,  Chief  Justice  Marshall  coming 
next  in  length  of  service. 


JOHN  T.  MORGAN,  whose  services  in 
the  United  States  senate  brought  him 
into  national  prominence,  was  born  in 
Athens,  Tennessee,  June  20,  1824.  At  the 
age  of  nine  years  he  emigrated  to  Alabama, 
where  he  made  his  permanent  home,  and 
where  he  received  an  academic  education. 
He  then  took  up  the  study  of  law,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1845.  He  took  a 
leading  part  in  local  politics,  was  a  presi- 
dential elector  in  i860,  casting  his  ballot 
for  Breckenridge  and  Lane,  and  in  1861 
was  a  delegate  to  the  state  convention  which 
passed  the  ordinance  of  secession.  In  May, 
of  the  same  year,  he  joined  the  Confederate 
army  as  a  private  in  Company  I,  Cahavvba 
Rifles,  and  was  soon  after  made  major  and 
then  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  Fifth  Regiment. 
In  1862  he  was  commissioned  colonel,  and 
soon  after  made  brigadier-general  and  as- 
signed to  the  command  of  a  brigade  in  Vir- 
ginia. He  resigned  to  join  his  old  regiment 
whose  colonel  had  been  killed.  He  was 
soon  afterward  again  made  brigadier-gen- 
eral and  given  command  of  the  brigade  that 
included  his  regiment. 

After  the  war  he  returned  to  the  prac- 
tice of  law,  and  continued  it  up  to  the  time 
of  his  election  to  the  United  States  senate,  in 
1 877.  He  was  a  presidential  elector  in  1 876, 
and  cast  his  vote  for  Tilden  and  Hendricks. 


COMPENDIUM  OF   BIOGRAPHT. 


Si- 


He  was  re-elected  to  the  senate  in  1883, 
and  again  in  1889,  and  1895.  His  speeches 
and  the  measures  he  introduced,  mari<ed 
as  they  were  by  an  intense  Americanism, 
brought   him   into  national  prominence. 


WILLIAM  McKINLEY, the  twenty-fifth 
president  of  the  United  States,  was 
born  at  Niles,  Trumbull  county,  Ohio,  Jan- 
uary 29,  1844.  He  was  of  Scotch-Irish 
ancestry,  and  received  his  early  education 
in  a  Methodist  academy  in  the  small  village 
of  Poland,  Ohio.  At  the  outbreak  of  the 
war  Mr.  McKinley  was  teaching  school, 
earning  twenty-five  dollars  per  month.  As 
soon  as  Fort  Sumter  was  fired  upon  he  en- 
listed in  a  company  that  was  formed  in 
Poland,  which  was  inspected  and  mustered 
in  by  General  John  C.  Fremont,  who  at 
first  objected  to  Mr.  McKinley,  as  being  too 
young,  but  upon  examination  he  was  finally 
accepted.  Mr.  McKinley  was  seventeen 
when  the  war  broke  out  but  did  not  look  his 
age.  He  served  in  the  Twenty-third  Ohio 
Infantry  throughout  the  war,  was  promoted 
from  sergeant  to  captain,  for  good  conduct 
on  the  field,  and  at  the  close  of  the  war, 
for  meritorious  services,  he  was  brevetted 
major.  After  leaving  the  army  Major  Mc- 
Kinley took  up  the  study  of  law,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar,  and  in  1S69  he  took 
his  initiation  into  politics,  being  elected  pros- 
ecuting attorney  of  his  county  as  a  Republi- 
can, although  the  district  was  usually  Demo- 
cratic. In  1 876  he  was  elected  to  congress, 
and  in  a  call  upon  the  President-elect,  Mr. 
Haye^,  to  whom  he  went  for  advice  upon  the 
way  he  should  shape  his  career,  he  was 
told  that  to  achieve  fame  and  success  he 
must  take  one  special  line  and  stick  to  it. 
Mr.  McKinley  chose  tariff  legislation  and 
he  became  an  authority  in  regard  to  import 
duties.      He  was  a  member   of   congress  for 


many  years,  became  chairman  of  the  ways 
and  means  committee,  and  later  he  advo- 
cated the  famous  tariff  bill  that  bore  his 
name,  which  was  passed  in  1890.  In  the 
next  election  the  Republican  party  was 
overwhelmingly  defeated  through  the  coun- 
try, and  the  Democrats  secured  more  than 
a  two  thirds  majority  in  the  lower  house, 
and  also  had  control  of  the  senate,  Mr. 
McKinley  being  defeated  in  his  own  district 
by  a  small  majority.  He  was  elected  gov- 
ernor of  Ohio  in  1 89 1  by  a  plurality  of 
twenty-one  thousand,  five  hundred  and 
eleven,  and  two  years  later  he  was  re-elected 
by  the  still  greater  plurality  of  eighty  thou- 
sand, nine  hundred  and  ninety-five.  He  was 
a  delegate-at-large  to  the  Minneapolis  Re^ 
publican  convention  in  1892,  and  was  in- 
structed to  support  the  nomination  of  Mr. 
Harrison.  He  was  chairman  of  the  con- 
vention, and  was  the  only  man  from  Ohio 
to  vote  for  Mr.  Harrison  upon  the  roll  call. 
In  November,  1892,  a  number  of  prominent 
politicians  gathered  in  New  York  to  discuss 
the  political  situation,  and  decided  that  the 
result  of  the  election  had  put  an  end  to  Mc- 
Kinley and  McKinleyism.  But  in  less  than 
four  years  from  that  date  Mr.  McKinley  was 
nominated  for  the  presidency  against  the 
combined  opposition  of  half  a  dozen  rival 
candidates.  Much  of  the  credit  for  his  suc- 
cess was  due  to  Mark  A.  Hanna,  of  Cleve- 
land, afterward  chairman  of  the  Republican 
national  committee.  At  the  election  which 
occurred  in  November,  1896,  Mr.  McKinley 
was  elected  president  of  the  United  States 
by  an  enormous  majority,  on  a  gold  stand- 
ard and  protective  tariff  platform.  He  was 
inaugurated  on  the  4th  of  March,  1897, 
and  called  a  special  session  of  congress,  to 
which  was  submitted  a  bill  for  tariff  reform, 
which  was  passed  in  the  latter  part  of  July 
of  that  vear. 


218 


COMPENDIC.y    OF    BIOGRAPlir. 


CINCINNATUS  HEINE  MILLER, 
known  in  the  literary  world  as  Joaquin 
Miller,  "the  poet  of  the  Sierras,"  was  born 
at  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  in  1841.  When  only 
about  thirteen  years  of  age  he  ran  away 
from  home  and  went  to  the  mining  regions 
in  California  and  along  the  Pacific  coast. 
Some  time  afterward  he  was  taken  prisoner 
by  the  Modoc  Indians  and  lived  with  them 
for  five  years.  He  learned  their  language 
and  gained  great  influence  with  them,  fight- 
ing in  their  wars,  and  in  all  modes  of  living 
became  as  one  of  them.  In  1858  he  left 
the  Indians  and  went  to  San  Francisco, 
where  he  studied  law,  and  in  i860  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  Oregon.  In  1866  he 
was  elected  a  county  judge  in  Oregon  and 
served  four  years.  Early  in  the  seventies 
he  began  devoting  a  good  deal  of  time  to 
literary  pursuits,  and  about  1874  he  settled 
in  Washington,  D.  C.  He  wrote  many 
poems  and  dramas  that  attracted  consider- 
able attention  and  won  him  an  extended 
reputation.  Among  his  productions  may  be 
mentioned  "  Pacific  Poems,"  "  Songs  of  the 
Sierras,"  "Songs  of  the  Sun  Lands," 
' '  Ships  in  the  Desert, "  ' '  Adrianne,  a  Dream 
of  Italy,"  "Danites,"  "Unwritten  History," 
"  First  Families  of  the  Sierras  "  (a  novel), 
"  One  Fair  Woman  "  (a  novel),  "Songs  of 
Italy,"  "Shadows  of  Shasta,"  "The  Gold- 
Seekers  of  the  Sierras,"  and  a  number  of 
others. 

GEORGE  FREDERICK  ROOT,  a 
noted  music  publisher  and  composer, 
was  born  in  Sheffield,  Berkshire  county, 
Massachusetts,  on  August  30,  1820.  While 
working  on  his  father's  farm  he  found  time 
to  learn,  unaided,  several  musical  instru- 
ments, and  in  his  eighteenth  year  he  went 
to  Boston,  where  he  soon  found  employ- 
ment as  a   teacher  of   music.      From    1839 


until  1844  he  gave  instructions  in  music  in 
the  public  schools  of  that  city,  and  was  also 
director  of  music  in  two  churches.  Mr. 
Root  then  went  to  New  York  and  taught 
music  in  the  various  educational  institutions 
of  the  city.  He  went  to  Paris  in  1850  and 
spent  one  year  there  in  study,  and  on  his  re- 
turn he  published  his  first  song,  "Hazel 
Dell."  It  appeared  as  the  work  of  "  Wur- 
zel, "  which  was  the  German  equivalent  of 
his  name.  He  was  the  originator  of  the 
normal  musical  institutions,  and  when  the 
first  one  was  started  in  New  York  he 
was  one  of  the  faculty.  He  removed  to 
Chicago,  Illinois,  in  i860,  and  established 
the  firm  of  Root  &  Cady,  and  engaged  in 
the  publication  of  music.  He  received,  in 
1872,  the  degree  of  "Doctor  of  Music" 
from  the  University  of  Chicago.  After  the 
war  the  firm  became  George  F.  Root  &  Co., 
of  Cincinnati  and  Chicago.  Mr.  Root  did 
much  to  elevate  the  standard  of  music  in  this 
country  by  his  compositions  and  work  as  a 
teacher.  Besides  his  numerous  songs  he 
wrote  a  great  deal  of  sacred  music  and  pub- 
lished many  collections  of  vocal  and  instru- 
mental music.  For  many  years  he  was  the 
most  popular  song  writer  in  America,  and 
was  one  of  the  greatest  song  writers  of  the 
war.  He  is  also  well-known  as  an  author, 
and  his  work  in  that  line  comprises:  "  Meth- 
ods for  the  Piano  and  Organ,"  "  Hand- 
book on  Harmony  Teaching, "  and  innumer- 
able articles  for  the  musical  press.  Among 
his  many  and  most  popular  songs  of  the 
war  time  are :  ' '  Rosalie,  the  Prairie-flower, " 
"Battle  Cry  of  Freedom,"  "Just  Before  the 
Battle,"  "  Tramp,  Tramp,  Tramp,  the  Boys 
are  Marching,"  ' '  The  Old  Folks  are  Gone, " 
"A  Hundred  Years  Ago,"  "Old  Potomac 
Shore,  "and  "  There's  Music  in  the  Air."  Mr. 
Root's  cantatas  include  ' '  The  Flower  Queen  ' 
and  "The  Haymakers."     He  died  in  1896. 


^r^<?i?'4»^i':'r^#'r^#4»#'»^#r^#'|r^»|?#'|?4^r^'#*|?^ 


\. 


COMPENDIUM 


^j^ 


=0F= 


•^^  LOCAL  BIOGRAPH^p^ 


4 


i(^  *!*  6|^  4* '^' *$* '^  4*  "^  *^  *?^  *l!*  ^  *l*  "^  4*  4* 


Ip^ortiaite. 


PAGE 

Amidon,  S.  B 262 

Bellew,  James  F 438 

Burns,  William  M 388 

Cook,  Robert  S 270 

Dale,  Hon.  D.  M 228 

Davidson,  James  0 284 

Dyer,  W.  H 322 

Ferguson,  Charles  V.        ...  410 

Fuller,  Dr.  John  H 350 

Griffith,  Rev.  Bruce     ....  422 

Hamersky,  Anton 400 

Harvey,  Edward  Elliott   ...  300 

Haymaker,  Hon.  J.  N.      .     .     .  246 


PAGE 

Hennessy,    Rt.    Rev.    John    Jo- 
seph, D.  D.    .     .     .     .     .     .416 

Huttmann,  Henry  W.       .     .     .  466 

Kernan,  S.  B 294 

Leichhardt,  Albert       ....  378 

Liggett,  Dr.  James  Enoch           .  344 

Loyd,  Morris  J 356 

McHenry,  I.  L 394 

Mackie,  William  S 328 

Menefee,  T.  J 456 

Morrison,  Nathan  Jacksnn,  D.D., 

LL.  D.                   258 

Naftzger,  L.  S 240 


PAGE 

Norton,  J.  W 432 

Rutledg-e,  Silas       ...  .306 

Sargent,  Samuel  M 312 

Simmons,  Charles  W.  334 

Simon,  John  B 288 

Springob,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John     .     366 

Stanley,  Hon.  W.  E 282 

Walden,  Albert  G 444 

Walden,  Mrs.  Malvina  Dreschaux  445 

Watts,  James  E 372 

Whitlock,  Frederick  W.,  M.  D.     264 
Wilson,  Hon.  Thomas  C.       .     .     276 


INDEX. 


Biographical. 


Amidon,  S.  B 253 

Arnett,  P.  L 279 

Artman   Byron  E.,  M.  D.     .     .  268 

B 

Babb,  W.  J 238 

Baker,  Benjamin  A 331 

Batka,  J.  Henry 473 

Bellew,  James  F 439 

Bishop,  Ira  M.        .           ...  317 

Blood,  George  L 464 

Blood,  Gillman  L 247 

Boone,  Frank  S 385 

Brewer,  Milton 469 

Brooks,  Charles  H 403 

Brown,  Howard 449 

Brown,  Jacob  H 461 

Brown,  William  C 404 

Brownewell,  A.  S.    .     .  .232 

Burns,  William  M 389 

C 

Caldwell,  Charles  S 303 

Campbell,  John  M 348 

Carlton,  CM 340 

Clark,  O.  B 472 

Collins,  S.  B 362 

Colvin,  Orville  Harvey     .  425 

Cook,  Robert  S 271 

Copeland,  George  Long   .  315 

Creasser,  William  S 414 

Cubbon,  George  T 375 


PAOE 

D 

Dale,  Hon.  D.  M 229 

Daugherty,  J.  V 231 

Davidson,  James  0 235 

DeRoss,  Dr.  D.  E 429 

Dold,  Fred  W 376 

Dorsey,  Edgar  Allen        ...  370 

Dugan,  Henry         320 

Dunn,  J.  C 441 

Dwight,  William  H.,  M.  D.        .  463 

Dyer,  Col.  James  L 420 

Dyer,  W.  H 323 


Eaton,  Benjamin  L 
Eckstein,  Otto  G. 


278 
418 


Fairmount  College       ....  381 

Falk,  Max  C 405 

Fearey,  H.  H 391 

Ferguson,  Charles  V.        ...  411 

Fritz,  Reuben  F 314 

Fuller,  Dr.  John  H 351 


Gill,  I.  W 

Goodyear,  Charles  E. 
Green,  D.  L.       .      . 
Griffith,  Rev.  Bruce 
GunsauUus,  Daniel 


262 
291 
339 
423 
341 


FA6E 

H 

Hall,  Jefferson  M 308 

Hamersky,  Anton    ....  401 

Harmon,  Daniel 419 

Hartley,  John  A 272 

Harvey,  Edward  Elliott   ...  301 

Hatfield,  Hon.  kodolph    ...  407 

Hatton,  Charles 326 

Haymaker,  Hon.  J.  N.      .      .      .  247 

Hein,  Martin  B 364 

Hennessy,  Rt.  Rev.  John  Joseph, 

D.  D 417 

Hobson,  Dr.  Mark  F.       .     .     .  249 

Hoover,  Samuel  H 402 

Howard,  J.  E 412 

Hudson,  Thomas  P.,  M.  D.        .  436 

Hulburt,  Elisha  J 362 

Huttmann,  Henry  W.       ...  467 

J 

Joslyn,  E.  W 273 

K 

Kernan.  S.  B 295 

Kerr,  Theodore 430 

Kimel,  Thomas  K 434 

Kirby,  F.  M 255 

Kohler,  Conrad 453 


Leichhardt,  Albert  ....  379 
Liggett,  Dr.  James  Enoch  .  345 
Lill,  Michael 342 


INDEX. 


TAOB 

Linnebur,  Henry  C 470 

Lipp,  Stephen  W.        ....  428 

Loyd,  Morris  j 357 

Luling.  Charles  H 248 


M 

McCormick,  James  P.       .     .     . 
McOowell,  Walter  L.  .     . 

McHcnry,  I.  L 

McPhcrson,  Thomas  H     . 

Mackie,  William  S 

Macredie,  Thomas  J 

Mahan,  Thomas  H 

Menefee,  T.  J 

Minick,  Dr.  J.  M 

Minick,  Dr.  William  A.    . 

Mitchell,  Hon.  D.  A 

Morrison,  Nathan  Jackson,  I).  D., 

LL.  D 

Mueller,  A.  G 

Mueller,  Charles  P 


450 
363 
395 
256 
329 
324 
292 
457 
280 
406 
369 


N 


Naftzger,  L.  S. 
Neumann,  Dr.  P. 
Norton,  J.  W. 


2.59 
266 
302 


241 

380 
4.33 


Oliver,  F.  J. 
Osborn,  George  D. 
Overman.  William 


284 
408 
368 


Parkhurst.  Clinton  E.       .     .     .  298 

Piatt,  Robert  M 398 

Pipkin,  J.  S 426 

Plumb,  George 279 

Powers,  Thomas 354 

Purdue,  Dr.  G.  C 370 


Ralph,  Wallace  A 319 

Randall,  George  M 296 

Rcdfield,  J.  C 237 

Redmond,  Christopher  .325 

Reeves,  John 347 

Reichenbergcr,  Alfonso  M.   .  346 

Rhoads,  Jacob  H.        .     .     •     .  468 

Richardson,  Dr.  F 440 

Roach,  Levi  W 460 

Ross,  Robert  W ^30 

Rutledge,  Silas 307 


Sargent,  Samuel  M. 
Schierenbeck.  Herman 
Schnitzler,  Henry    . 
Scott,  Josiah 
Shattuck,  Samuel  W.,  Jr. 
Sidles,  George  G.    . 
Simmons,  Charles  W. 
Simon,  John  B. 
Smith,  Benjamin  C. 
Smith,  Hiram     . 
Smith,  Thomas  J.    . 


313 
250 
396 
317 
264 
452 
335 
289 
313 
897 
860 


Springob,  John 
Stamback,  Francis  M. 
Stamback,  George  W. 
Stanley,  Hon.  W.  E.    . 
Strong,  Charles  G. 
Sutton,  W.  M.    .     .     . 


367 
358 
359 
283 
361 
297 


Taylor,  William  H 267 

Thomas,  Dr.  Pembroke  S.  374 

Tihen,  Herman  R.,  M.  D.            .  348 
Tihen,  Rev.  J.  Henry        .304 

Trickey,  Thomas  N 442 

Turley,  Jerome 243 

Tyrrell,  Frank 290 


Vandegrift,  Samuel 


458 


W 

Walden,  Albert  G 447 

Walden,Mrs.  MalvinaDreschaux  448 

Wall,  Thomas  B 286 

Watson,  J.  T 285 

Watson.  Nelson  L 309 

Watts,  James  E 373 

Weiss,  Otto        241 

Whiting.  Edmond        ....  353 

Whitlock,  Frederick  W..  M.  1).  265 

Williams,  Thomas  ]■   ■      ■  .  310 

Wilson,  Hon.  Thomas  C.       .      .  277 

Winters,  Oscar  L 454 

Woolf,  Charles  H 337 

Wright,  A.  T! 470 


HON.  U.  M.  DALE. 


Diograpblcdl  Record 


SEDGWICK   COUNTY 


ON.  D.  M.  DALE,  as  judge  of  the  dis- 
ict  court  held  at  Wichita,  has  ren- 
dered invakiable  service  to  the 
county.  His  impartiahty  and  high  sense  of  jus- 
tice have  endeared  him  to  the  citizens  in  his  ju- 
risdiction, while  his  promptness  and  dispatch  in 
the  disposition  of  cases  tried  before  him  have 
resulted  in  incalculable  saving  to  the  county. 

Judge  Dale  was  born  in  De  Kalb  county, 
Illinois,  June  3,  1852,  and  is  a  son  of  Franklin 
and  Maria  (Webster)  Dale.  His  father  was 
born  in  England  in  1812,  and  came  to  this 
country  when  five  years  of  age,  receiving  his 
education  at  Daleville,  Pa.  He  married  Maria 
Webster,  a  native  of  England,  who  was 
brought  to  this  country  when  three  years  old 
by  her  parents,  who  located  near  Daleville. 
Franklin  Dale  was  ordained  a  Methodist  min- 
ister and  preached  some  in  that  church.  He 
removed  to  Michigan  in  the  "thirties"  and  a 
few  years  subsequently  moved  to  Freeland  Cor- 


ners, De  Kalb  county,  Illinois.  He  next  moved 
to  Somonauk,  in  the  same  county,  where  he 
engaged  as  a  merchant  a  number  of  years. 
From  there  he  moved  to  Leland,  La  Salle 
county,  where  he  was  a  merchant  and  grain 
dealer,  and  also  owned  a  farm.  He  spent  the 
last  few  years  of  his  life  in  retirement,  and  was 
killed  by  a  train  at  a  railroad  crossing  in  1888. 
His  wife  died  in  1873,  at  the  age  of  fifty-nine 
years.  Eight  children  were  born  to  them, 
namely:  Caroline  (Bacon)  of  Chicago,  Illi- 
nois; Mary  (Watson)  of  Mount  Hope,  Kan- 
sas; Susan  (Beckwith)  of  Wichita;  Arthur  of 
Lelantl,  Illinois ;  John  W.  of  Clearwater,  Kan- 
sas; Frank  of  Guthrie,  Oklahoma,  v,ho 
was  for  five  years  chief  justice  of  the  ter- 
ritory; and  David  M.,  our  subject.  Franklin 
Dale  was  a  Republican  in  politics,  a  man  of 
great  force  of  character,  a  good  speaker,  and  a 
strong  and  acti\'e  worker  in  his  party. 

During  the  last  six  years  of  his  minority. 


229 


230 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


D;i\iil  M.  \y,\\c  worked  upon  a  farm  in  Do 
Kail)  (.■lunitw  Illinois,  imlliui;-  in  liis  winters 
ami  all  other  spare  time  in  obtaining  an  eiluca- 
tion.  He  read  law  at  Leland  and  Ottawa,  Illi- 
nois, and  taught  school  during  the  winter 
montlis  to  pay  his  expenses.  In  January,  1876, 
he  was  admitted  to  the  liar,  passing  an  exam- 
ination ill  open  court  before  the  judges  of  the 
supreme  court  of  that  state.  He  practiced  law 
there  initil  iSSo.  \\licn  he  located  in  Wichita. 
Against  his  wislies,  he  was  nominated  for 
county  attorney  in  the  fall  of  that  year,  and 
ran  in  opposition  to  judge  I'alderston.  While 
Garfield  carried  the  county  by  a  majority  of 
1,000,  Mr.  Dale  succeeiled  in  getting  a  major- 
ity of  240  votes.  He  was  reelected  county  at- 
torney in  1882,  defeating  Judge  \\'all  l)y  near- 
ly 500  votes.  1  le  refused  to  become  a  candi- 
date for  a  third  term,  and  likewise  refused  to 
liecome  a  candidate  for  any  other  oiifice.  al- 
though importuned  by  ])arty  friends  to  allow 
liis  name  to  be  used  for  congressional,  senator- 
ial, judicial  and  other  nominations,  until  1895. 
A  general  demand  of  the  bar  and  the  people 
then  forced  him  to  take  the  nomination  for 
judge  of  the  district  court,  realizing  that  in  him 
was  the  only  hope  of  defeating  the  opposing 
candidate.  Judge  Reed.  Mr.  Dale  had  threeyears 
previously  retired  to  his  farm  on  account  of  ill 
health,  but  letters  were  written  to  him  from  all 
parts  of  the  county,  and  various  committees 
waited  upon  him.  They  finally  exacted  a  prom- 
ise to  accept  the  nomination  if  given  unani- 
mously and  without  cfYort  on  his  i)art.  It  is 
worthy  of  note  that  he  received  the  nomina- 


tion of  the  convention  by  ;i  unanimous  \-ote, 
remaining  upon  the  farm  throughout  the  strug- 
gle. After  a  hard  and  bitter  fight  he  was  elect- 
ed by  a  majority  of  753  votes.  When  he  opened 
court  for  the  first  term,  January  1,  1896,  he 
found  a  demoralized  condition  of  affairs.  Un- 
der the  old  man.-igenient  the  court  was  four 
years  behind  in  its  work,  nearly  1,000  cases  be- 
ing on  the  d(jcket  and  500  demurrers  and  mo- 
tions to  be  heard.  He  .set  to  work  immediately 
and  pushed  things  through  with  such  system 
and  regularity  that  the  docket  was  cleared  in 
six  months'  time.  It  took  work  night  and  day. 
and  at  one  time  during  the  first  term  there  were 
three  juries  out.  The  high  character  of  his 
work  is  evidenced  ])y  the  following  statement 
made  by  ex-Deputy  Clerk  of  the  District  Court 
Charles  Luling,  a  prominent  Republican,  which 
appeared  in  the  Daily  Beacon  of  March  28, 
1896:  "Judge  Dale  is  the  ablest  judge  who 
ever  .sat  on  the  bench  in  this  county  and  it  is  my 
solemn  con\-iction  that  he  and  the  present  jury 
have  saved  the  county  $40,000  in  jury  expenses 
alone."  Judge  Dale  was  reelected  to  the  office 
in  1899,  receiving  a  majority  of  1,926  votes 
over  his  opponent.  Judge  Balderston,  the  larg- 
est rnajority  ever  given  a  judge  in  Sedgwick 
county. 

Fraternally,  Judge  Dale  is  a  member  of  Al- 
bert Pike  Lodge  No.  303,  A.  F.  &  A. 
M.,  and  has  taken  degrees  in  the  chapter, 
commandery  and  consistory,  being  a  promi- 
nent Mason.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  His  portrait  is 
shown  on  a  preceding  page. 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


231 


■V.  DAUGHERTY,  of  Wichita.  Kansas, 
is  a  prominent  attorney-at-lavv.  It 
may  truly  be  said  of  iiim  tliat  lie  is 
the  architect  of  his  own  fortune,  for  what  he 
possesses  today  has  resulted  from  his  own  in- 
dustry, unaided  by  others. 

Mr.  Daug'herty  was  born  in  West  Dubuque, 
Iowa,  and  is  a  son  of  William  E.  Daugherty. 
The  latter  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
upon  reaching  manhood  devoted  his  time  to 
farming  and  surveying,  finally  becoming  a  gov- 
ernment surveyor.  He  moved  to  Dubuque, 
Iowa,  in  1852,  and  there  became  a  friend  of 
Senator  William  B.  Allison  and  other  noted 
men  of  Iowa.  He  surveyed  in  Northern  Wis- 
consin and  elsewhere,  leaving  his  family  on  a 
farm  near  Epworth,  Iowa,  whither  he  had 
moved  in  1862.  In'  1871  he  moved  to  Adams 
county,  Iowa,  where  he  purchased  land  and  left 
his  family,  while  he  completed  contracts  which 
he  had  in  Nebraska.  The  contracts  ran  from 
1868  to  1872,  and  in  the  latter  year  he  re- 
turned to  his  farm  and  devoted  his  attention 
solely  to  farming  and  stock  raising.  He  was 
also  county  surveyor  of  Adams  county  for  sev- 
eral years.  He  resides  in  Western  Kansas,  anil 
is  the  owner  of  a  cattle  ranch. 

J.  V.  Daugherty  was  four  or  five  years  old 
when  his  family  moved  to  the  vicinity  of  Ep- 
worth, and  he  received  his  first  schooHng  at 
that  place.  He  was  the  oldest  of  nine  chil- 
dren and  naturally  took  the  lead  in  managing 
the  work  on  the  farm,  beginning  thus  at  the 
early  age  of  fourteen  years.  He  had  the  man- 
agement of  a  force  of  men  who  cleared  the  place 
of  brush,  and   acquitted   himself  with  credit. 


When  twenty  years  old  he  attended  school  for 
one  year  at  Villisca,  Iowa,  and  after  reaching 
man's  estate  was  presented  with  a  team  of 
horses  by  his  father.  He  also  rented  from  his 
father  a  tract  of  land  on  shares,  and  after  rais- 
ing one  crop  purchased  from  him  80  acres  of 
lirush  land.  He  gave  the  first  year's  crop  in 
partial  iiayment,  and  during  the  following  three 
years  cultivated  the  farm  in  the  summer  time 
and  worked  in  the  coal  mines  during  the  winter, 
thus  earning  enough  to  discharge  all  obliga- 
tions. The  fall  after  he  was  twenty-four  years 
old  he  rented  his  farm  and  went  west  to  Wichi- 
ta, Kansas,  to  try  his  fortune.  After  paying  his 
hotel  bill  on  his  arrival  he  found  himself  with 
Init  $2,  anil  so  at  once  set  about  to  find  work. 
On  the  evening  of  his  first  day  he  met  a  man 
from  Chicago,  who  owned  a  quarter  section  of 
land  northwest  of  the  town,  and  Mr.  Daugh- 
erty bargained  to  build  two  miles  of  fence — 
about  three  weeks'  work.  He  then  gathered 
corn,  built  more  fence,  and  worked  until  the 
fall  of  1882.  He  then  began  the  study  of  law 
in  the  ofiice  of  W.  P.  Campbell,  applied  him- 
self diligently  to  his  task  for  two  years,  and 
in  the  fall  of  1884  was  admitted  to  the  bar  by 
Judge  Sluss.  He  began  his  practice  in  Wich- 
ita in  a  small  room  on  Main  street,  sleeping  in 
the  back  part,  which  he  partitioned  off.  For 
furniture  he  had  three  chairs  and  a  table.  His 
library  consisted  of  one  copy  of  the  Kansas 
statutes  and  a  volume  of  Blackstone.  As  many 
transfers  were  being  made,  his  first  work  con- 
sisted in  drawing  deeds,  examining  abstracts, 
etc  About  one  year  after  establishing  his  of- 
fice he  worked  by  the  day  for  Mr.  Van  Ness, 


232 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


clerk  of  tlie  district  court,  being  engaged  in 
writing  the  journals,  etc.  After  a  period  of 
tlirce  years  lie  was  in  better  financial  conditimi 
and  had  ac(|uired  a  remunerative  practice, 
which  has  gradually  increased  ever  since.  He 
remained  in  his  first  office  for  three  years,  and 
then  moved  to  a  small  room  in  the  Harris 
Building,  where  he  practiced  until  iSyj.  He 
then  moved  ci\cr  to  the  Citizens'  Bank  Building, 
and  in  iS()4  Id  the  Fourth  National  Bank 
Building.  There  he  remained  for  five  years, 
and  then  moved  to  his  present  fine  rooms  in 
the  Sedgwick  Block.  He  has  a  good  clientage, 
occupying  all  his  time,  and  is  possessed  of  an 
excellent  library. 

Mr.  Daugherty  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Lou  Leeper,  in  Indiana,  and  they  have  one  son, 
Willis.  He  owns  a  comfortable  home  on  North 
Market  street.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of 
the  \\'ichita  lodge  of  the  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Republican,  taking  an  active  in- 
terest in  public  affairs,  and  nearly  always  act- 
ing as  delegate  to  the  conventions  of  his  partv. 


Ic'i 


BROWNEWELL.  who  has  been 
ientified  with  the  fire  depart- 
ment of  the  city  of  Wichita,  Kan- 
sas, since  1884,  is  now  serving  in  the  capacity 
of  its  assistant  chief.  He  was  born  in  Canton, 
Ohio,  in  1864,  and  is  a  son  of  W.  H.  Browne- 
well. 

W.  H.  Brownewell  was  a  railroad  man  and 
a  bridge  carpenter.  He  was  the  father  of  four 
children,  of  whom  A.  S.  is  the  oldest.     The 


others  are:  George  F.,  Charles  F.,  and  William 
R.  They  are  all  residents  oi  Canton,  Ohio, 
and  have  \isited  in  the  West  but  did  not  remain. 
A.  S.  limwuewell  was  reared  in  his  native 
town  and  there  attended  the  public  schools,  as 
did  President  McKinley's  wife  at  that  time. 
He  went  to  Kansas  in  1880  with  a  homeseek- 
ers'  excursion,  but  merclv  with  a  buy's  curios- 
ity to  travel  and  see  the  country.  Being  so  well 
pleased  with  the  place  he  established  a  perma- 
nent residence,  and  since  that  period  has  not 
experienced  a  day's  sickness.  Wichita  was  then 
a  small  city  and  had  but  few  buildings  along 
the  aveinie.  At  first  he  followed  the  trade  of 
a  carpenter.  A  volunteer  fire  department  bad 
been  organized  before  his  arrival ;  it  was  the 
old  Babcock  Company,  known  as  Frontier,  No. 
I.  The  department  was  located  in  an  old 
frame  building.  10  feet  high  and  14  feet 
wide,  where  the  present  station.  No.  i,  stands. 
There  was  just  room  for  a  hand  hose  reel,  and 
in  the  rear  was  the  city  calaboose.  There  were 
no  city  water  works  at  that  time,  and  every- 
thing was  done  by  hand.  The  Deluge  Com- 
pany, No.  I,  was  organized  just  before  Mr. 
Brownewell's  arrival,  and  he  became  a  member 
of  it  in  1884.  It  consisted  of  Captain  W.  M. 
Smythe  and  19  men.  In  1886  the  paid 
department  was  organized,  and  he  has  been  in 
its  service  ever  since,  under  Chief  A.  G.  Wal- 
den.  He  became  foreman  of  No.  t,  and  in 
1889  was  appointed  assistant  chief,  and  he 
has  ably  assisted  the  chief  in  the  fulfillment  oi 
his  duties.  There  are  now  four  stations  in  the 
city,  and  he  takes  care  that  everything  is  kept 
in  readiness  and  in  the  proper  order — his  head- 


JAMES  O.  UA\IDSON. 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


235 


quarters  being  at  Station  No.  i,  \\liere  seven 
horses  are  kept.  He  lias  been  tbrougb  all  of 
the  destructive  fires,  and  the  efficiency  of  the 
service  of  the  department  is  in  a  great  measure 
due  to  his  efforts. 

Mr.  Browneweli  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Alice  Gibbs,  and  they  have  three  children: 
Willie,  Jeanette  and  Ralph.  Fraternally  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Ancient  Order  of 
United  Workmen.  He  is  a  strong  Republican 
in  his  political  opinions.  Religiously  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Reformetl  church. 


'AMES  O.  DAVIDSON,  one  of  Wichita's 
most  highly  esteemed  citizens,  whose  por- 
trait we  present  herewith,  has  probably 
done  more  to  promote  the  growth  of  the  city 
than  any  other  one  man.  When  he  first  located 
Wichita  had  but  600  inhabitants,  and  afforded 
excellent  opportunities  for  new  business  ven- 
tures. With  this  fact  foremost  in  mind,  he 
established  public  institutions  of  various  kinds 
and  contributed  time  and  money  to  the  support 
of  all  enterprises  calculated  to  benefit  the  city. 
He  was  for  years  president  of  the  Kansas  Na- 
tional Bank,  and^at  the  head  of  all  public  im- 
provements. His  great  work  in  the  interest  of 
the  city  has  endeared  him  to  its  citizens  and  his 
name  will  always  be  associated  with  that  of 
Wichita. 

Mr.  Davidson  was  born  in  Cuba,  Allegany 
county,  New  York,  March  4,  1850,  and  re- 
ceived his  early  education  in  the  public  schools. 


He  then  attended  Alford  University,  of  Alfred, 
New  York,  after  which  he  was  employed  at 
clerking.  He  continued  thus  until  1872,  when 
he  decided  to  move  west  to  Wichita,  Kansas, 
then  a  practically  new  town.  There  was  then 
no  railroad  to  Wichita  and  he  came  by  way  of 
stage.  His  friends  prophesied  he  would  remain 
but  a  short  time,  but  he  has  ever  since  made  it 
his  home.  He  immediately  started  upon  a  most 
acti\'e  career,  and  began  loaning  money  and 
making  investments  for  Eastern  capitalists.  He 
induced  many  substantial  men  of  the  East  to 
come  to  Sedgwick  county  and  invest  their 
money,  and  in  many  cases  they  moved  here, 
built  homes,  and  became  enthusiastic  in  build- 
ing up  the  city  and  county.  Mr.  Davidson 
traveled  throughout  the  East  and  established 
an  extensive  business.  In  1883,  he  built  a 
handsome  block  on  the  corner  of  Main  and 
Douglas  streets,  and  established  the  Citizens' 
Bank  with  a  capitalization  of  $100,000.  In 
1896,  the  bank  was  merged  with  that  of  H.  W. 
Lewis,  the  latter  a  private  bank,  into  the  Kan- 
sas National  Bank,  the  capital  stock  remaining 
the  same.  In  1887,  the  Citizens'  Bank  had  the 
largest  deposits  of  any  bank  in  the  state  of 
Kansas,  and  at  that  time  the  banking  offices 
were  contained  in  but  one  room,  one  half  the 
size  of  the  present  one.  The  large  increase  in 
business  forced  them  to  seek  larger  quarters, 
and  in  1885  they  enlarged  the  building  to  its 
l)resent  capacity,  it  now  being  one  of  the  finest 
in  the  state.  It  is  conveniently  arranged,  hand- 
somely furnished  and  equipped  with  a  large 
fireproof  vault.     The   subject  of  this  sketch 


2.36 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


served  as  president  until  1900,  wlien  he  sold  his 
interest,  ami  tlic  following  officers  were  then 
chosen :  C.  D.  Chandler.  presi<lent ;  E.  E.  Mas- 
ternian,  vice-president;  and  I^lslmry  Martin, 
cashier.  In  1S86,  Mr.  Davidson  built  the  first 
electric  railroad  of  Wichita,  and  later  disposed 
of  his  interest.  In  1887,  he  bought  500  acres 
of  farm  land  on  the  west  side  of  the  city,  and 
laid  out  city  lots  runl  a  jKirk.  the  latter  being 
sold  to  the  city  for  use  as  a  inihlic  park.  He 
built  himself  a  grand  stone  residence  on  this 
tract  at  a  cost  of  $100,000.  It  is  magnificent 
in  all  its  appointments,  conveniently  arranged 
and  elegantly  furnislied.  It  is  surrounded  by 
a  beautiful  lawn  and  trees,  and  altogether  the 
place  presents  a  very  attractive  ajjpearance.  He 
established  and  served  as  president  of  the 
Wichita  Union  Stock  Yards,  and  also  of  the 
car  works.  He  gave  $3,000  toward  the  build- 
ing of  the  Y.  M.  C.  .\.  building,  now  known 
as  the  Masonic  Temple,  which  is  the  finest  in 
the  West,  and  has  been  most  acti\e  in  establish- 
ing and  improving  schools  and  churches.  He 
has  been  financial Ij'  interested  in  the  building 
of  many  of  the  largest  blocks  in  \\'ichita.  and 
is  a  stockholder  in  many  worthy  enterprises. 

Mr.  Daxidson  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Ida  Fitch,  of  Chicago,  Illinois,  who  died,  leav- 
ing one  son,  Frank  O.  The  latter,  who  has 
charge  of  the  traveling  department  of  the  firm 
of  J.  H.  Bell  &  Company,  of  Chicago,  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Elsie  Bell,  by  whom 
he  has  a  son  Francis.  Our  subject  formed  a 
second  matrimonial  alliance  with  Bessie  Carver, 
of  Jacksonville,  Illinois,  and  they  have  a  daugh- 
ter, Bessie  Oaklev.    Fraternallv,  he  is  a  thirtv- 


second  degree  Mason,  and  a  member  of  the 
B.  P.  O.  E. 

Stephen  L.  Davidson,  deceased,  who  was  for 
many  }ears  a  ])rominent  business  man  of  Wich- 
ita, was  the  father  of  James  O.  Davidson,  and 
was  born  at  Acworth,  New  Hampshire,  Febru- 
ary 28,  1 814.  He  was  the  son  of  James  and 
Jane  (Davidson)  Davidson,  both  natives  of 
New  Hampshire.  His  forefathers  were  origin- 
ally natives  of  Moneymore,  in  the  northern  part 
of  Ireland,  and  the  first  of  the  family  to  come  to 
this  country  left  his  native  land  in  1728. 
Stephen  L.  Davidson  was  a  representative  of 
the  fifth  generation  of  the  family  living  in 
America.  James  Davidson,  his  father,  was  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  New  Hampshire  until 
1 82 1,  when  he  removed  to  Allegany  county, 
Ne\v  York.  He  wrested  a  farm  from  the 
wilderness,  and  in  time  cleared  a  large  farm  on 
which  he  lived  until  his  death.  At  first,  blazed 
trees  served  as  a  guide  to  his  place  of  abode; 
this  fact  illustrates  the  primitive  and  unsettled 
condition  of  the  country  at  that  time.  Stephen 
L.  Davidson  was  reared  on  the  farm  and  at- 
tended Middlebury  Academy  in  New  York  for 
three  years.  At  the  age  of  twenty-two  years 
he  began  his  business  career  by  entering  the 
mercantile  and  lumber  business  at  Cuba,  Alle- 
gany county.  New  York,  at  which  he  continueil 
until  1862.  During  this  time  he  also  engaged 
extensively  in  agricultural  pursuits,  ow^ning  and 
managing  a  farm  of  300  acres.  He  subse- 
quently engaged  in  contracting  for  the  govern- 
ment, furnishing  some  3.000  horses  for  the 
army  service.  In  pursuit  of  the  latter  business, 
he  made  a  number  of  trips  to  Kansas  and  other 


SEDGWJCK  COUNTY 


237 


Western  States,  and  during  one  of  these  pros- 
pecting tours  purchased  640  acres  of  land  in 
Kansas  from  the  government.  In  iS~2,  he 
mo\-ed  to  Wicliita  and  thus  as  an  early  settler 
witnessed  the  various  changes  and  the  rapid  de- 
velopment of  this  section  of  the  country.  He 
saw  the  transition  of  Wichita  from  a  trading 
post  to  a  flourishing  metropolis,  and  was  an  im- 
portant factor  in  its  growth  and  development. 
Immediately  after  settling  there,  he  estahlished 
a  loan  and  real  estate  business,  which  he  carried 
on  until  the  time  of  his  death.  He  owned  a 
large  amount  of  real  estate  and  was  a  stock- 
holder in  the  Citizens'  Bank.  ]\Ir.  Davidson 
was  twice  married,  first  in  1839,  to  Sarah  Lan- 
caster, of  New  Hampshire,  a  daughter  of 
\\'illiam  and  Fannie  (Davidson)  Lancaster. 
'Idiis  union  was  prolific  of  two  children : 
Mary  J.  (Sweet):  and  Sarah  (Rogers).  In 
1846,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Susan  R.  Hampton,  by  whom  he  had  four 
children,  as  follows :  James  O. ;  Charles  L. ; 
Alice ;  and  Jennie  B.  In  politics,  Mr.  Davidson 
was  always  a  Republican  and  while  a  resident 
of  Allegany  county.  New  York,  took  an  active 
part  in  public  affairs.  He  was  supervisor  for 
six  years,  justice  of  the  peace  for  several  vears 
and  ser\'ed  as  session  judge  for  one  year. 


C.  REDFIELD,  who  has  Ijeen  a  resident 
of  Wichita,  Kansas,  since  1872,  has  had 
an  extended  and  varied  career  in  the 
business  world,  and  is  now  a  county  commis- 
sioner of  Sedgwick  countv.     He  is  a  man  of 


excellent  business  qualifications  and  has  at- 
tained success  in  whatever  line  of  effort  he  has 
adopted. 

Mr.  Rcdfield  was  born  in  Summit  county, 
Ohio,  in  1S31,  and  is  a  son  of  Sylvanus  G. 
Redfield.  He  was  reared  and  mentally  trained 
in  his  natix'e  county,  and  there  followed  farm- 
ing, and  taught  school  during  winter  months, 
until  1856.  He  then  spent  one  year  in  Wis- 
consin, and  in  1857  moved  west  to  Geneva, 
.Vllen  county,  Kansas,  where  he  took  up  a  claim. 
He  set  abi:)Ut  improving  and  cultivating  his 
land,  which  he  subsequently  sold.  In  the  spring 
of  i860,  he  was  elected  sheriff  of  Allen  county, 
and  was  reelected  for  a  second  term.  He  was 
then  appointed  receix'er  in  the  Lhiited  States 
land  office  for  the  Humboldt  District  by  Presi- 
dent Lincoln,  moving  to  Humboldt,  the  county 
seat.  He  held  this  office  until  1864,  and  was 
then  engaged  in  the  hardware  business  until 
1872,  when  he  mo\-ed  to  Wichita.  He  was  re- 
cei\'er  of  the  United  States  land  office  at 
Wichita  until  1876,  after  which  he  went  into 
the  mercantile  business  with  the  firm  of  G.  Y. 
Smith  &  Company,  then  h^cated  where  the  Bos- 
ton Store  now  is.  In  this  line  he  continued 
until  1880,  when  he  closed  out  and  became 
interested  in  constructing  and  establishing  the 
W'ellington  water  works.  In  1886  he  returned 
to  \\'ichita  and  dealt  in  real  estate  during  the 
boom  in  that  business.  In  1890,  he  retired 
from  that  pursuit.  In  1 900,  he  was  nominated 
for  county  commissioner  on  the  Republican 
ticket  and  was  elected  to  that  office.  In  1892, 
he  was  made  a  justice  of  the  peace  and  served 
as  such  efficiently. 


238 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


Mr.  Redfield  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Ilannali  A.  Nichols  in  1859,  slie  being  a  native 
of  Twinsburg,  Ohio,  wliere  lie  was  also  born. 
Their  children  are  as  follows:  Flora  G.,  wife 
of  Allen  A.  \\'ood,  of  Wichita,  by  whom  she 
has  two  children,  Carrie  E.  and  Genevieve; 
Carrie  Iv,  who  died  in  1877;  Kate,  wife  of 
George  F.  \\'hilIocl<,  of  Lexington,  Kentucky, 
by  wlumi  she  has  two  chiklrcn, — George  R. 
and  Margaret;  Frank,  chief  bookkeeper  for 
C.  E.  Potts  &  Company,  of  Wichita,  who  mar- 
ried Jessie  Boyce  and  has  two  children, — Ben- 
jamin B.  and  Gertrude;  Belle  N.,  wife  of 
Charles  B.  Harris,  of  Dallas,  Texas;  and  Pearl, 
who  married  George  D.  Downing,  of  Wichita, 
and  has  one  son, — Rudolph  A.  Mr.  Redfield 
became  a  Mason  in  Pacific  Lodge,  No.  2,  and 
is  now  past  master  of  that  lodge,  and  belongs  to 
Chapter  No.  33,  of  Wichita,  Kansas. 


IT"- 


J.  BABB,  a  gentleman  of  high  ed- 
ucational attainments,  has  been  a 
very  prominent  figure  in  the  pub- 
lic eye  as  a  lawyer,  politician  and  journalist. 
He  is  serving  as  representative  of  the  Seven- 
tieth District  of  Kansas,  and  is  an  editor  of  the 
Kansas  Coiiiinoiicr.  He  has  for  many  years 
been  a  successful  attorney-at-law,  but  has  re- 
linquished his  practice  in  order  to  devote  more 
time  to  newspaper  work. 

Mr.  Babb  was  born  in  Laurens  county.  South 
Carolina,  in  1846,  and  is  a  son  of  Rev.  R.  F. 
Babb,  a  Baptist  minister.  He  has  a  brother, 
J.  G.,  who  is  now  proctor,  or  business  manager, 


of  the   University  of  Missouri;  and  another 
brother,  H.   B.,  is  a  well  known  attorney-at- 
law  in  llie  city  of  Denver.    W.  J.  Babb  received 
his  early  mental  training  in  the  public  schools 
South  Carolina,  and  was  twelve  years  old  when 
he  moved  with  his  parents  to  Boone  county, 
Missouri.    He  attended  the  University  of  Mis- 
souri  at   Columbia,   Boone  county,   and   grad- 
uatoil    in    the    regular   scientific   course   in   the 
class  of  1873,  receiving  the  degree  of  B.  S.   He 
then  attended  the  normal  school,  and  after  his 
graduation  became  a  teacher.     He  subsequent- 
ly took  a  course  of  study  in  the  law  depart- 
ment (if  the  Uiuversity  of  Missouri,  and  was 
graduated   with  the  class  of   1876,  being  the 
valedictorian.     He  then  taught  school  for  one 
or  two  years.     He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1876,  but  did  not  begin  practice  until    1878, 
when  he  started  at  Columbia.     He  continued 
there  until  June,  1887,  when  he  went  to  Wich- 
ita, Kansas,  and  formed  a  partnership  with  his 
brother,  J.  G.  Babb,  their  oflice  being  at  first 
in  the  Sedgwick  Building,  and  later  on  Main 
street.     Since  1890  W.  J.  Babb  has  taken  an 
active  interest   in  politics,  being  a  consistent 
and  pronounced  Populist.     He  was  nominated 
bv  that  party  for  district  judge  at  the  time  ]\Ir. 
Reed  was  elected.     He  was  elected  representa- 
tive by  the  same  party  in  1898  and  1900,  and 
is  now  serving  his  second  term  in  the  state 
legislature.     He  has  practically  retired   from 
the  active  practice  of  law,  and  is  engaging  in 
the  newspaper  business,  being  associated  with 
Frank  Nighswonger  and  Mr.  J.  C.  Healy  in 
editing  and  publishing  the  KaJisas  Coiiiinoiicr. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  state  central  com- 


THP 

NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY^ 

,  *stor,  Lenox  and  Tll-len  / 
\\      foundatioirs. 


L.  S.  XAFTZGER. 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


241 


niittee  of  the  Populist  party,  and  was  a  delegate 
to  the  Sioux  Falls  national  convention,  May 
9,  1900. 

Mr.  Babb  was  united  in  marriage  with  Mi- 
nerva E.  Clough,  of  Missouri,  and  they  have 
the  following  children  :  A.  Frank,  who  is  in  the 
printing  office  of  the  Kansas  Commoner;  Mi- 
nerva May,  who  attends  the  university  at  Co- 
lumbia, Missouri ;  Virginia,  who  is  in  attend- 
ance at  Fairmount  College,  and  Isabelle  and 
William  J.,  Jr.,  who  attend  public  school.  So- 
cially the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  member  of 
the  Fraternal  Aid.  He  has  a  fine  home  in 
Wichita,  and  also  owns  a  farm  which  is  devoted 
to  stock  raising. 


"1^  S.  NAFTZGER,  a  gentleman  promi- 
IJ  nent  in  the  circles  of  finance  in  Wichi- 
"^"^  ■  "^ta,  Kansas,  whose  portrait  is  herewith 
shown,  is  president  of  the  Fourth  National 
Bank  of  that  city.  As  head  of  that  institution 
he  has  displayed  great  executive  ability  and 
made  it  one  of  the  most  substantial  banks  of  the 
state.  It  is  incorporated,  with  its  capital  stock 
at  $100,000,  and  has  a  surplus  of  $30,000.  Its 
officers  are:  L.  S.  Naftzger,  president;  E.  R. 
Powell,  vice  president;  J.  M.  Moore,  cashier, 
and  J.  N.  Richardson,  assistant  cashier.  The 
directors  are :  L.  S.  Naftzger,  J.  M.  Moore, 
W.  E.  Jett,  R.  L.  Holmes,  E.  R.  Powell,  J.  N. 
Richardson  and  B.  F.  McLain. 

Mr.  Naftzger  was  born  in  Wayne  county, 
Ohio,  in  1854,  but  when  he  was  three  years 
old  his  parents  moved  to  Hickory  county,  Mis- 


souri, where  he  received  his  early  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  that  county.  He  entered 
the  State  University  of  Iowa  and  was  gradu- 
ated from  the  law  department  with  the  class  of 
1876.  He  immediately  embarked  upon  a  prac- 
tice at  Warsaw,  Missouri,  and  while  there  or- 
ganized a  private  bank.  In  1887  he  disposed  of 
his  interests  in  that  town  and  located  in  Wich- 
ita. Kansas,  where  he  engaged  in  the  money 
loan  business.  He  continued  at  that  until  1893, 
when  he  and  J.  M.  Moore  bought  a  con- 
trolling interest  in  the  Fourth  National  Bank 
of  Wichita.  It  was  reorganized  and  placed 
upon  its  present  firm  basis  and  under  capable 
management  the  bank  has  flourished. 

Mr.  Naftzger  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Ida  L.  Taylor,  by  whom  he  has  four  children, 
as  follows :  Florence,  Clifton,  Frederick  and 
Pauline.  Fraternally  he  is  a  thirty-second  de- 
gree Mason  and  is  also  a  member  of  various 
other  fraternal  bodies. 


TTO  WEISS,  an  old  and  highly  re- 
spected citizen  of  Wichita,  Kansas,  has 
been  agent  of  the  Halstead  and  New- 
ton milling  companies  since  1889,  in  which 
capacity  he  has  shown  notable  business  ability. 
He  has  worked  up  a  trade  amounting  to  a  car- 
load per  day,  and  the  receipts  from  sales  aggre- 
gate $10,000  per  month. 

Mr.  W^eiss  was  born  in  Hessen-Darmstadt, 
Germany,  and  is  a  son  of  Philip  Otto  and 
Louisa  ( Greiffenstein)  Weiss,  being  the  fifth 
of  10  children,  as  follows:    Frederick,  who  is 


242 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


superintendent  of  a  railway  company  and  a 
bridge-building  contractor  in  Germany ;  Menry, 
a  soldier,  wbo  was  killed  August  i8.  1870.  near 
Metz,  in  the  Franco- Prussian  War;  Charles, 
who  lives  in  Essen.  Germany,  and  is  a  superin- 
tendent in  the  offices  of  the  Krupp  Manufactur- 
ing Company,  iiaving  charge  of  the  steel,  scien- 
tific and  chemical  department;  Julia,  deceased, 
who  was  the  wife  of  Mr.  Joutz.  a  railway 
superintendent ;  Otto,  to  whom  this  sketch  per- 
tains; William,  who  came  to  America  with 
Otto  in  1872  and  is  now  in  Pottawatomie 
county,  Oklahoma,  where  he  is  engaged  in 
farming  and  serving  as  justice  of  the  peace  in 
Burnett;  Frank,  who  is  manager  of  one  of  the 
largest  iron  works  in  Bavaria,  Germany;  Beat- 
rice (Rautenbusch),  whose  husband  is  super- 
intendent of  a  division  of  forest  in  Germany, 
guarding  the  game  and  timber ;  Walter,  a  man- 
ufacturer of  toilet  articles  as  well  as  a  chemist 
and  <lruggist.  of  Berlin,  Germany;  and  Julius. 
a  prominent  druggist,  of  Michelstadt,  Ger- 
many. Philip  O.  Weiss,  father  of  Otto,  was  a 
prominent  railway  superintendent  and  engi- 
neer, having  engineered  the  construction  of 
the  first  bridge  across  the  River  Rhine,  from 
i860  to  1865,  which  is  still  in  use.  and  recog- 
nized as  the  best  bridge  of  its  time.  He  was  a 
noted  architect,  besides  being  superintendent  of 
a  large  line  of  railway.  The  brother-in-law 
of  Otto  Weiss,  William  Greiffenstein,  who  in- 
duced him  and  his  brother  to  come  to  America, 
made  the  original  plat  of  the  city  of  Wichita, 
and  assisted  largely  in  the  organization  of  the 
town.  He  came  to  this  country  about  1849  o"" 
1850,  and  first  worked  in  a  store  at  Westport, 


now  a  portion  of  Kansas  City,  establishing 
trading  posts  at  Washetaw  (a  ranch)  and  vari- 
ous places  along  Cowskin  Creek.  In  1869  he 
bought  the  Durfee  ranch  at  Wichita,  and  laid 
out  and  helped  to  establish  the  town.  He  was 
elected  mayor  seven  successive  times,  serving 
from  1878  to  1885.  Having  plenty  of  land, 
he  built  houses  and  in  every  possible  way  aided 
in  developing  the  city,  and  his  name  will  be 
remembered  as  long  as  the  city  endures.  He 
passed  the  last  three  years  of  his  life  in  Okla- 
homa, where  he  died,  September  26,  1899. 

Otto  Weiss  attended  the  high  school  in 
Darmstadt,  Germany,  until  he  was  seventeen 
years  old.  and  in  1872  left  for  America,  accom- 
panied by  his  brother,  \\'illiam.  They  arrived 
at  the  home  of  their  uncle  in  Wichita  in  May 
of  that  year,  and  Otto  became  a  clerk  in  a  large 
hardware  store  as  soon  as  he  had  partially 
learned  the  English  language.  He  continued 
thus  until  1878.  Wichita,  a  railroad  terminus, 
was  the  business  center  of  a  region  extending 
many  miles,  and  he  became  acquainted  with 
nearly  all  of  the  early  settlers.  He  was  next 
engaged  for  one  year  with  Bisantz  &  Butler, 
in  their  hardware  store,  which  is  still  conducted 
by  the  former.  From  1879  until  1884  Mr. 
Weiss  was  in  the  Indian  Territory,  raising 
stock,  and  then  spent  one  year  on  a  trip  to  Ger- 
many. Upon  returning,  he  was  engaged  in  the 
grocery  business  on  North  Main  street,  Wichi- 
ta, until  1888.  In  the  spring  of  1889  he  as- 
sumed the  duties  of  agent  for  the  Hal  stead  and 
Xewton  milling  companies,  having  a  joint 
office  and  w-arehouse.  He  has  moved  several 
times,  and  now  has  a  fine  location  on  Santa  Fe 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


243 


avenue,  near  the  tracks,  where  a  new  building 
has  just  been  completed.  They  have  a  large 
wholesale  trade  in  Wichita  and  surrounding 
towns,  the  sales  amounting  to  about  a  carload 
per  day. 

Mr.  Weiss  was  united  in  marriage  with  An- 
nie Wylie,  whose  family  came  to  Kansas  from 
Virginia  at  an  early  dav,  and  thev  are  the  par- 
ents  of  two  children  :  Willie,  who  is  a  boy  of 
thirteen  years,  and  is  attending  school,  and 
May,  aged  seven  years.  Mr.  Weiss  has  a  fine 
home  on  North  Emporia  street,  one  of  the  best 
residence  streets  in  Wichita.  He  recently  pur- 
chased a  65-acre  farm,  five  miles  south  of  the 
city,  which  he  devotes  to  raising  fancy  poultry, 
stock,  fruit,  etc.  In  politics  he  is  independent. 
Fraternally  he  is  president  of  Harmony  Council 
No.  123,  Fraternal  Aid,  of  W^ichita,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  Lodge  22,  A.  O.  U.  W.  He  is  now  serv- 
ing his  third  term  as  president  of  the  Associated 
Fanciers  of  the  Arkansas  Valley. 


'EROME  TURLEY  is  a  large  land  owner 
of  Sedgwick  county,  Kansas,  where  he 
has  successfully  carried  on  agricultural 
pursuits  for  many  years.  He  is  known  as  one 
of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  the  county,  in  which 
he  has  made  his  home  since  December,  1874. 
He  was  born  Deceml)er  25,  1849,  i"  Logan 
county,  Illinois,  and  is  a  son  of  George  Wash- 
ington Turley,  and  a  grandson  of  Samuel  Tur- 
ley. 

Samuel  Turley  was  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
but  during  the  primitive  days  of   Illinois,   he 


moved  to  Logan  county,  in  that  state,  where  he 
settled  on  a  farm  five  miles  southwest  of  Mount 
Pulaski.     He  took  up  a  large  claim  of  land, 
which  he  tilled  the  rest  (if  his  active  days,  and 
as  the  white  settlers  were  then  comparatively 
few,  much  of  his  bartering  was  done  with  the 
Indians.    His  son,  George  W,  Turley,  was  born 
in     Kentucky,     February    4,     1S09,     inU     in 
1834,     he    too    located       in     Logan    county, 
Illinois,     and     there     spent     the     balance     of 
his    life,    carrying    on    farming.     He    passed 
away      in     Feliruary,      1881.       He     was     a 
man  greatly  esteemed  by  his  fellow  citizens, 
who  recognized  in  him  a  gootl  neighbor  and 
loyal  citizen.     He  never  aspired  to  office,  but 
took  an  active  part  in  the  welfare  of  his  adopted 
community.     He  was  joined  in  wedlock  with 
Susan  Taylor,  also  of  Kentucky,  who  was  born 
January  13.   181 1,  and  wlnjse  death  occurred 
in  1892.    They  were  the  parents  of  the  follow- 
ing children  ;  Theresa  T. ;  William  H. ;  Samuel ; 
Ann  Frances ;  Sarah  ;T.  J. ;  T.  T. ;  Lucy ;  Luther 
H. ;  Jerome ;  Saloam,  and  Luellen.    Theresa  T., 
who  is  deceased,  was  born  August   12,   1835, 
and  was  the  wife  of  George  H.  Butler,  w  ho  now 
resides   at   Springfield,    Illinois:   William    H., 
who  is  deceased,  was  born  September  15,  1836, 
married  Martha  Neal,  and  was  a  farmer  and 
stock  raiser  of  Eastern   Kansas,  also  mining 
consideralily  in  California.     Samuel,  born  Jan- 
uary 22,  1838,  is  a  farmer  and  stock  raiser  on' 
the  old  homestead  in  Illinois,  and  married  Ra- 
chael  Wooley.     Ann  Frances,  born  January  8, 
1839,  is  the  wife  of  George  W.  Burke.    Sarah, 
born  October  8,  1840,  who  is  deceased,  was  the 
wife  of  William  Adams,  of  Springfield,  Illinois. 


244 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


T.  J.,  born  March  i6,  1842,  married  Mary  Har- 
|)(K)1.  ami  is  a  retired  farmer  mnv  residing  at 
Lincoln,  Illinois.  T.  T.,  born  September  15, 
1844,  enlisted  in  the  2d  Reg.,  Iowa  Vol.  Cav.. 
in  1864.  al'tcrwan!  married  Lucy  'I'uriey,  and 
is  engaged  in  farming.  Lucy.  lM)rn  February 
8,  1846,  died  in  infancy.  Luther  H.  was  born 
August  2,  1S48,  and  died  in  October,  1869. 
Jerome  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Saloam, 
born  December  20,  1852,  was  married  to 
Roland  Mayer,  and  both  are  deceased.  Luellen, 
l)orn  September  12,  1854,  is  the  wife  of  H.  T. 
Sudduth,  a  farmer,  of  Illinois.  Both  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Turley  were  devoted  members  of  the 
Christian  church. 

Jerome  Turley  settled  on  his  ])rcsent  place  in 
1876,  although  the  purcliase  was  made  in 
December,  1874.  It  was  known  as  the  F. 
Stewart  place,  consisting  of  the  northeast  quar- 
ter of  section  10,  Waco  township.  In  1880, 
Mr.  Turley  purchased  the  northwest  quarter 
of  section  1 1 ,  which  was  known  as  the  Pit- 
tenger  farm;  and  in  1884  he  liought  tlie  south- 
east quarter  of  section  3,  which  was  known  as 
the  W'ycoff  farm.  Of  these  three  farms  the 
last  named  was  the  only  one  which  had  any 
improvements  at  the  time  Mr.  Turley  became 
its  possessor,  but  they  are  now  all  under  a  fine 
state  of  cultixatii.ni,  and  are  classed  with  the 
best  farming  property  in  Sedgwick  county. 
Mr.  Turley  also  owns  considerable  property  in 
Kingman  county,  Kansas.  General  farming 
and  stock  raising  have  been  his  sole  occupation 
for  these  many  years,  and  he  is  considered  an 
honor  to  his  chosen  occupation.  He  has  hosts 
of  admirers  and  friends  tliroughuut  the  com- 


munity in  which  he  has  so  long  resided,  and  is 

well  worthy  of  the  esteem  and  respect  accorded 
iiini. 

Jerome  Turley  remained  at  home  until  Jan- 
uary II,  1872,  wiicn  he  went  to  Inilton,  Mis- 
souri, and  while  there,  was  joined  in  marriage 
with  Bathsheba  Douglass,  of  Callaway  county, 
Missouri,  whose  birth  took  place  November  2"], 
1 85 1.  Ller  parents  were  John  and  Agnes 
(Chetham)  Douglass,  early  settlers  of  Callaway 
county,  and  they  had  the  following  seven  chil- 
dren :  Louise;  Emily;  Da\id;  Mary;  Amanda; 
John ;  and  Bathshelja.  The  last  named  and  her 
husband,  the  subject  hereof,  are  the  parents  of 
the  following  children :  lola ;  Luther  H. ; 
Vivalley;  Elva  Marshall:  Iva  Myrtle;  Leroy 
Jerome:  \'ita,  and  Archie  D.  Tola,  born  No- 
\ember  10,  1872,  is  the  wife  of  Rev.  E.  A. 
Newby,  and  they  have  one  child,  Jerome.  Lu- 
ther H.  was  born  October  8,  1874,  and  died 
August  13.  1875.  Vivalley,  born  April  4, 
1876,  a  farmer  of  Kingman  county,  Kansas, 
wedded  Anna  Deffenbaugh,  by  whom  he  has 
one  daughter,  Olive  J.  Elva  Marshall  was 
born  January  8,  1878,  and  resides  with  his 
brother  in  Kingman  county.  Kansas.  Iva  Myr- 
tle was  born  February  i,  1880.  Leroy  Jerome 
was  born  December  28,  1883.  Vita  was  horn 
September  11,  1887.  Archie  D.  was  be nn  Jan- 
uary 14,  1893.  Like  his  father,  Jerome  Turley 
has  always  been  a  stanch  Democrat  in  politics, 
and  in  religious  views,  has  alwavs  favored  the 
Christian  church.  He  has  always  been  promi- 
nent among  his  fellow  citizens,  and  although 
he  is  not  an  office  seeker,  he  has  nevertheless 
consented  to  serve  on  the  school  board.     He 


^■f 


'.u. 


HON.  I.  N.  HAVMAKK 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


247 


is  a  memlier  of  the  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  Sunflower 
Lodge,  No.  86,  of  Wichita,  and  belongs  also  to 
the  A.  O.  U.  W.  Lodge,  No.  22,  of  Wichita. 


"ON.  J.  N.  HAYMAKER,  a  gentleman 
of  prominence  in  the  legal  circles  of 
-Sedgwick  county,  Kansas,  whose 
portrait  appears  on  the  opposite  page,  was  a 
practicing  lawyer  of  this  county  for  many 
years  and  is  now  probate  judge,  having  served 
as  such  since  1896. 

Judge  Haymaker  was  born  in  Clark  county. 
Indiana,  in  1858,  and  is  a  son  of  Dr.  George 
W.  Haymaker,  who  was  a  practicing  physician 
of  Charlestown,  Indiana,  for  a  period  of  forty- 
five  years.  Dr.  Haymaker  was  born  in  Charles- 
town,  Indiana,  in  1830,  and  received  his  pri- 
mary education  there.  He  obtained  a  medical 
'  training  at  Louisville,  Kentucky,  and  Cincin- 
nati, Ohio.  His  entire  professional  career  was 
spent  in  his  native  town,  where  he  died  June  5, 
1900.  He  married  Foster  Henley,  who  now 
resides  in  Charlestown,  Intliana,  and  they 
reared  four  daughters  and  one  son. 

Judge  Haymaker  received  his  early  educa- 
tion at  Hanover,  Indiana,  and  studied  law 
at  the  University  of  Kentucky  in  Louisville, 
graduating  with  the  class  of  1885;  during  his 
vacations  he  taught  school  to  enable  him  to 
complete  his  education.  He  first  practiced  at 
Jefferson,  Indiana,  for  two  years.  He  was  city 
attorney  during  the  first  year  and  the  following 
year  was  elected  county  attorney.  In  1887.  he 
resigned  the  latter  office  and  removed  to  Wich- 


ita, Kansas,  where,  embarking  in  practice,  he 
met  at  once  with  un(|ualified  success.  He  took 
an  active  part  in  the  workings  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party  and  in  1896  was  a  delegate  to  the 
national  Democratic  convention  at  Chicago, 
Illinois,  was  also  elected  probate  judge  in  that 
year  and  was  reelected  in  1898,  serving  not 
only  to  the  satisfaction  of  his  constituents,  but 
to  all  concerned. 

Judge  Haymaker  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Allie  King,  of  Eminence,  Kentucky,  and 
they  are  parents  of  two  children,  Mary  and 
Henley.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows.  He  has  held  all  the  ofifices  of 
the  latter  and  is  now  sitting  past  grand  of 
Wichita  Lodge,  No.  93. 


/"^"^  ILLMAN  L.  BLOOD,  commonly 
I  ^ST"  called  "Gill,"  may  be  classed  among 
the  representative  and  accumulative 
farmers  of  Sedgwick  county,  Kansas,  where  he 
has  resided  since  May  4,  1871.  His  reputation 
is  that  of  a  good  neighbor  and  pulilic  spirited 
citizen.  He  was  born  in  Maine,  May  31,  1832, 
and  is  a  son  of  Leonard  and  Elizabeth  (Gove) 
Blood,  both  natives  of  Maine. 

Leonard  Blood  got  out  ship  timber  during 
the  days  he  li\'ed  in  Maine,  but  after  he  moved 
to  Rochester,  New  York,  he  was  engaged  in 
makino-  oars.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  de- 
ceased.  They  were  the  parents  of  the  following 
offspring:  Gillman  L.,  who  is  the  oldest  child 
born  to  them ;  Susan,  who  married  Isaac  Moore, 


248 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


a  farmer  residiii;^  in  Illiiu)is;  Alinira.  wln)  inar- 
ricil  Dr.  Jnliii  (iillitt.  of  Duiilap,  Illinois;  and 
I-'llcn.  who  married  (ieorjje  W.  Knif^jht,  a  prom- 
inent merchant  of  IJanfjor.  Maine.  The  hus- 
bands of  the  three  sisters  are  all  deceased. 

( lillman  1..  iUood  was  a  hahe  of  two  years 
when  his  parents  mo\eiI  to  Rochester.  New 
\'ork.  l'"rom  there  they  moved  to  I'eoria 
ciunilx'.  llliuciis,  when  (lillman  was  four  x'cars 
old,  and  he  li\ed  there  until  1871.  lie  then 
moved  west,  to  Sedgwick  county, Kansas, where 
he  located  u]"in  his  present  homestead,  .\fter 
m;m\-  years  of  constant  labor,  lie  has  succeeded 
in  making  his  farm  one  of  the  best  equipped 
and  most  i)roductive  in  Waco  township.  Be- 
sides general  farming,  he  raises  considerable 
small  fruit,  which  yields  him  a  good  sum  of 
money  each  year.  Mr.  Blood  is  favorably 
known  throughout  the  county,  as  an  honest, 
upriglit  citizen  and  farmer,  and  one  who  always 
lends  his  influence  to  w^orthy  enterprises. 

Mr.  Blood  was  joined  in  marriage,  December 
9,  1855,  at  Peoria,  Illinois,  to  Ella  A.  Alma- 
roade,  a  daughter  of  Captain  George  L.  Alma- 
roade,  who  was  for  many  years  the  captain  and 
owner  of  a  vessel  which  jjlied  up  and  down 
the  Mississippi  River  between  St.  Louis  and 
New  Orleans.  Her  father  died  in  St.  Louis, 
of  yellow'  fever,  and  her  mother,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Priscilla  Keyler,  a  native  of  England, 
is  also  deceased.  Mrs.  Blood  is  the  only  child 
of  this  union  who  is  now  living.  Mr.  Blood 
and  his  wife  are  the  parents  of  five  children, 
namely :  Lizzie,  who  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Jacob  Cooper,  who  died  in  Wichita, 
Kansas,  in  1889;  George  L.,  who  is  a  prominent 


farmer  of  Sedgwick  cnnnlx-,  and  whose  sketch 
also  appears  in  this  volume;  Edward  11.:  Ever- 
ett, who  wedded  .\nna  Moore,  and  resides  in 
Waco  township,  Sedgwick  county;  and  Carrie, 
who  was  the  wife  of  George  Parham.  a  druggist 
of  Wichita,  and  passed  fmm  ihis  life,  in  Octo- 
ber,  1S81. 

Politically.  Mr,  Blood  is  a  strong  Republican, 
and  though  he  is  not  an  office  seeker,  he  has 
.served  as  township  treasurer,  and  takes  con- 
sidei'ahle  interest  in  local  politics. 


IIARLES  H.  LULING,  a  well  known 
business  man  of  Wichita,  Kansas,  is 
general  agent  of  the  New  York  Life 
Insurance  Company,  and  has  eight  agents  un- 
der his  suiiervision  in  Sedgwick  county,  Kan- 
sas. 

Mr.  Luling  was  born  in  New  York  City 
September  15,  1855,  and  is  a  son  of  William 
Luling.  The  latter  was  of  German  extraction, 
and  in  1856  moved  to  Wisconsin,  where  he 
s])ent  the  remainder  of  his  days  as  an  architect 
and  builder.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  at- 
tended the  public  schools  and  Gillette  Business 
C(3llege,  and  began  his  business  life  as  a  com- 
mercial traveler.  In  March,  1880,  he  went  to 
Wichita.  Kansas,  as  bookkeeper  for  the  Dia- 
mond Mills,  and  also  represented  that  concern 
upon  the  road.  lie  continued  thus  until  1886, 
and  then  entered  the  real  estate  business  dur- 
ing the  boom  in  Wichita,  doing  an  immense 
amount  of  business.  In  1889  he  was  elected 
district  clerk  on  the  Republican  ticket,  served 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


249 


as  such  one  term,  and  was  then  nominated  for 
a  second  term.  He  was  then  made  general 
ag-ent  of  the  New  York  Life  Insurance  Com- 
pany; he  has  elegant  offices  in  the  Zimmerly 
Block,  and  does  a  large  luisiness.  He  has  a 
fine  residence  on  Waco  avenue  in  Wichita. 

Mr.  Luliiig  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Annie  Kile,  of  Clayton,  Adams  county,  Kan- 
sas, and  they  are  parents  of  one  daughter, 
Marie  Henrietta,  wife  of  H.  W.  Moffatt,  hy 
whom  she  has  a  son,  Charles  Howard.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch  is  serving  his  .second 
term  as  a  member  of  the  city  council.  In  igoo 
he  received  the  Republican  nomination  as  rep- 
resentative of  the  city  district  in  the  state  legis- 
lature, and  was  elected  by  a  large  majority. 
Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F., 
lodge  and  encampment ;  Knights  of  Pythias, 
A.  O.  U.  W.,  B.  P.  O.  E.,  and  O.  D.  H.  S., 
No.  4.  In  the  K.  of  P.  he  was  chancellor  com- 
mander for  two  terms,  being  the  first  chancel- 
lor commander  of  the  order  when  instituted. 


~\r\  R-  MARK  F.  HOBSON,  a  gentleman 
l^rj  of  wide  experience  in  the  practice  of 
C*-^  medicine,  makes  a  specialty  of 
chronic  diseases.  In  these  lines  he  has  met  with 
wonderful  success.  In  the  treatment  of  patients 
afflicted  with  dropsy  he  has  never  lost  a  case. 
In  addition  to  chronic  cases  he  has  a  very  re- 
munerative general  practice  in  Wichita  and  vi- 
cinity. 

Dr.  Hobson  was  born  in  Henry  county,  In- 
diana, in  1853,  and  is  a  son  of  William  Hobson, 


who  came  to  Kansas  in  1879  and  settled  at 
Sedgwick,  Harvey  county.  There  he  engaged 
in  farming  until  1885,  when  he  moved  to  Wich- 
ita, and  for  a  while  engaged  in  teaming.  He 
next  bought  a  farm  in  Kingman  county,  Kan- 
sas, where  he  remained  until  1900,  when  he  re- 
turned to  Wichita  to  live  in  retirement. 

Mark  F.  Hobs(in  received  his  early  mental 
training  in  the  schools  of  Hagerstown,  Indiana, 
and  then  entered  upon  the  study  of  medicine  at 
New  Castle,  in  the  same  state,  under  Dr.  John 
Needham.  He  was  graduated  from  the  Physio- 
Medical  College  of  Cincinnati  with  the  class  of 
1879,  and  immediately  afterward  moved  to 
Wichita,  Kansas,  where  he  engaged  in  practice 
for  one  year.  His  kidneys  became  so  badly  af- 
fected that  he  was  obliged  to  relinquish  his  prac- 
tice and  to  devote  his  time  to  the  stud)'  of  his 
own  case.  He  succeeded  in  effecting  a  com- 
plete cure,  and  he  has  never  since  been  troubled 
with  that  ailment.  His  success  in  his  own  case 
prompted  him  to  make  a  specialty  of  diseases  of 
the  kidney  and  bladder,  and  of  dropsy.  During 
the  time  in  which  he  did  not  practice  he  estab- 
lished the  Hobson  Printing  Company,  in  Wich- 
ita, of  which  his  son,  Robert  M.,  is  manager. 
In  1882  he  also  established  a  weekly  paper,  the 
Jayhaivkcr,  at  Sedgwick  City,  which  he  con- 
ducted for  two  years.  In  1899  he  opened  fine 
parlors  and  consulting  rooms,  especially  adapt- 
ed to  his  treatment  of  chronic  diseases. 

Dr.  Hobson  was  united  in  marriage  with  Lew 
E.  McConnaughey,  a  daughter  of  Robert  Mc- 
Connaughey  of  Hagerstown,  Indiana,  and  their 
union  resulted  in  the  following  offspring :  Rob- 
ert M. ;  Nettie;  Bertha;  Edna;  Elmer;  Agnes; 


2S0 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


and  Wayne.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  has 
built  four  fine  residences  in  Wichita,  in  addition 
to  his  own.  He  is  a  man  of  strong  cliaractcr. 
and  has  many  friends  in  that  city. 


KERMAX  SCIIIERENBECK,  a  well 
i<no\vn  and  successful  farmer  living  on 
— '  the  soutlieast  quarter  of  section  4, 
in  Alorton  township,  Sedgwici<  county,  Kansas, 
is  a  native  of  Hanover,  Germany,  and  was  born 
in  1857,  being  a  son  of  All)ert  and  Sopliia 
Schierenbeck.  His  parents  never  came  to  this 
country.  They  liad  four  children,  of  whom  one 
died  in  infancy.  Henry,  one  of  the  sons,  resides 
in  Hanover,  and  has  never  been  to  America. 
Annie,  the  wife  of  Fred  Kahlbeck,  a  farmer 
living  in  Nebraska,  came  to  America  in  1888. 
She  has  been  the  mother  of  six  children, — two 
deceased,  and  four  living,  whose  names  are 
Mena,  Mata,  Annie,  and  Fred. 

Herman  Schierenbeck  attended  the  public 
schools  in  his  native  town  until  he  reached  the 
age  of  fourteen  years,  when  he  began  to  assist 
his  father  on  the  farm, — remaining  at  home 
until  1880.  In  that  year  Mr.  Schierenbeck 
came  to  this  country,  and  settled  in  Sedgwick 
county,  Kansas,  where  he  had  a  friend  whose 
name  was  Hiliman, — one  of  the  oldest  settlers 
of  the  county.  In  the  spring  of  1881,  he 
bought  the  south  half  of  the  southeast  (piarter, 
and  the  south  half  of  the  southwest  quarter  of 
section  4.  This  was  owned  by  John  Hiliman, 
and  was  practically  unimproved.  Mr.  Schieren- 
beck planted   some  Cottonwood   slips   secured 


from  Mr.  Hillm;ui"s  farm,  as  there  were  no 
trees  on  the  place.  Having  little  money,  he 
did  not  mo\-e  on  to  his  farm  until  three  years 
later,  but  continued  to  hire  out  to  the  other 
farmers  in  the  vicinity.  In  1884,  he  built  a 
house  12  by  14  feet  in  dimensions,  and  a  barn, 
16  by  16  feet,  and  h.iving  purchased  a  team  of 
horses  and  two  cows,  began  farming  on  his 
own  property.  In  subsequent  years,  these  mod- 
est dwellings  have  been  replaced  by  a  large, 
comfortable  and  substantial  house  and  barn, 
and  tlie  land  surrounding  has  been  highlv  cul- 
tivated, yielding  annually  a  fine  crop  of  grain. 
Mr.  Schierenbeck  also  raises  considerable  stock. 
About  80  acres  of  the  quarter  section  is  under 
cultivation,  and  the  remainder  is  composed  of 
hay  land,  pasture  and  orchard.  Since 
1897,  Mr.  Schierenbeck  has  rented  160  acres  in 
section  ^2,  one  mile  north  of  his  farm,  which  is 
owned  by  Mrs.  White,  a  non-resident.  Sixty 
acres  of  this  land  are  used  for  pasturing,  and  the 
remainder  is  under  cultivation.  Mr.  Schieren- 
beck has  been  a  very  successful  farmer,  and  is 
widely  known  in  the  county  as  a  man  of  good 
business  abilities,  with  assurance  of  continued 
prosperity. 

Mr.  Schierenbeck  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Emma  Kuchl,  a  daughter  of  Fred  and 
Fredericka  Kuehl,  who  came  to  America  in 
1865,  and  have  resided  in  Sedgwick  county 
for  twenty-three  years.  They  are  the  parents 
of  eight  children,  namely:  Annie;  Henry;  Car- 
rie; Dora;  Fred;  Laura;  Mena,  and  Alma.  In 
politics,  Mr.  Schierenbeck  is  an  independent 
voter.  He  has  served  on  the  township  board  for 
three  years,  and  is  a  member  of  the  M.  W.  A., 


NEW  YORK      ^ 
'  PUBLIC  LIBRARY  V',' 


S.  B.  AMIDON. 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


253 


of  Cheney,  having  joined  tliat  organizatinn  in 
1892.  The  family  are  faithful  adherents  of  the 
I-utheran  church. 


B.  AMIDON— The  state  of  Kansas 
is  not  lacking  in  brilliant  and  suc- 
•  cessful  lawyers,  and  in  this  respect 
outclasses  many  much  older  communities,  a 
fact  to  which  her  citizens  may  justly  look  with 
pride.  An  able  representative  of  this  class, 
not  alone  for  his  legal  ability,  but  for  his  in- 
nate strength  and  force  of  character,  is  the  gen- 
tleman named  above,  a  leading  citizen  of  Wich- 
ita, Kansas,  and  county  attorney  of  Sedgwick 
county. 

Mr.  Amidon  is  a  native  of  the  Buckej'e 
State,  his  birth  having  occurred  at  Perry,  Lake 
county,  Ohio,  May  3,  1863.  He  is  the  young- 
est son  of  H.  N.  and  Marietta  (Barker)  Ami- 
don, and  is  the  only  one  of  his  family  to  try 
his  fortunes  in  the  West.  His  father,  H.  N. 
Amidon,  was  born  in  Lake  county,  Ohio,  and 
has  reached  the  advanced  age  of  seventy-nine 
years.  He  was  engaged  in  tlie  stock  business 
during  his  acti\-e  business  career,  and  attained 
a  high  degree  of  success.  He  married  Marietta 
Barker,  and  they  became  parents  of  six  chil- 
dren, as  follows:  A.  A.,  deceased,  who  was 
at  one  time  a  judge  in  Lake  county,  Ohio; 
Alice  M.,  who  married  J.  C.  Cannon,  now  as- 
sistant postmaster  at  Cleveland,  Ohio;  Rebec- 
ca S.,  who  is  assistant  principal  of  the  Cleve- 
land High  School;  Nellie  M.,  who  is  lady 
principal  of  one  of  the  Cleveland  schools ;  Dr. 


H.  N.,  who  for  the  past  fourteen  years  has 
l:>een  a  prominent  physician  and  surgeon  of 
Painesville,  Ohio,  attended  Oberlin  and  Hiram 
colleges  and  graduated  from  the  Cleveland 
Medical  College;  and  S.  B.,  the  subject  of  this 
biography. 

S.  B.  Amidon  received  his  primary  educa- 
tion at  the  Geneva  Normal  School,  from  which 
he  was  graduated  with  a  class  of  14  in  1880, 
being  the  valedictorian  of  the  class.     He  next 
spent  two  years  at  Oberlin  College,  paying  his 
expenses  by  teaching  school.     Leaving  Ober- 
lin, he  entered  Hiram  College,  but  in  his  senior 
year  was  obliged  to  leave  his  studies  and  return 
home  owing  to  serious  illness  in  his   family. 
He  had  decided  upon  the  legal  profession  as 
his  life's  vocation  while  yet  in  normal  school. 
He  taught  one  year  in  Lake  county  and  then 
entered  the  Cleveland  Law  School,  where  in 
the   spring  of    1886  he   graduated   second   to 
C.  R.  Houck  of  New  Jersey,  in  a  class  of  103 
members.     He  was  shortly  afterward  admitted 
to  the  bar  through  the  supreme  court  of  Ohio, 
and   the   following    fall     located    in   Wichita, 
Sedgwick  county,  Kansas,  with  no  money  but 
plenty  of  grit  and  determination.     He  prac- 
ticed alone  for  the  first  three  years,  having  his 
ofiice  at  the  corner  of  Douglas  and   Market 
streets,   and   succeeded   in  establishing  a   fair 
practice.     In    1889,  he   formed   a  partnership 
with  Sanky  &  Campbell,  which  continued  until 
1892,  after  which  he  practiced  alone  until  1894. 
He  then  entered  into  a  partnership  with  J.  F. 
Conly,  with  whom  he  is  still  associated.    They 
at  first  had  fine  office  rooms  in  the  Zimmerly 
Block,  but  since  1899  have  had  better  apart- 


254 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


mcnts  ill  the  I'.ittiu.i;-  VA"d<.  Mr.  Aiiiidon  lias 
one  of  the  finest  and  most  complete  law  libra- 
ries in  the  city  or  state,  and  also  has  a  good 
liome  library,  lie  is  possessed  of  one  of  the 
handsomest  brick  residences  in  Wicliila. 

Ill  iS(>o.  Mr.  .\iiiid<in  as  candidate  for  cmm- 
ty  attiM-ncy  ran  ahead  of  the  Dcnincratic  ticket, 
but  was  defeated  by  Wesley  Morris.  Entering 
the  race  in  1896,  against  John  Davis,  he  was 
elected,  and  in  1898  was  reelected  over  Joseph 
Brubacker  by  a  larger  majority  than  was  ever 
before  received  by  a  county  attorney  in  Sedg- 
wick conntv.  I  Ic  actively  supported  Judge  Dale 
who  was  recently  elected  by  so  overwhelm- 
ing a  majority.  He  is  chairman  of  the  Dem- 
ocratic county  central  committee  and  takes  a 
keen  interest  in  state  politics;  he  declined  the 
proffered  nomination  for  attorney  general  at 
the  I'-ort  Scott  convention  in  1900,  feeling  that 
he  ought  not  to  leave  his  remunerative  law 
practice,  lie  and  his  ])artner  do  an  immen.se 
general  law  business,  employing  an  assistant 
and  two  typewriters. 

Mr.  .Xmidoii  is  vice-president  and  one  of  the 
principal  owners  of  the  Colwich  State  Bank 
of  Colwich,  Kansas,  and  is  a  director  in  the 
Mount  Hope  State  Bank,  and  in  the  Clearwater 
State  Bank.  Fraternally,  he  is  exalted  ruler 
of  Lodge  No.  427,  B.  P.  O.  E.,  having  served 
in  all  official  capacities;  he  was  a  charter  mem- 
ber in  1889  of  Lodge  No.  189,  Knights  of 
Pythias,  and  holds  the  highest  of^ce,  that  of 
grand  tribune,  in  the  state  lodge;  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  I.  O.  O.  F. ;  L  O.  R.  M. ;  A.  O.  U. 
W. ;  is  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason,  and  has 
taken  the  Scottish  Rites  degree.     During  his 


leisure  time  he  takes  especial  pride  and  pleasure 
ill  blooded  horses.  He  has  five,  standard  bred, 
rejristered  animals,  and  commodious  stables. 

In  1893,  our  subject  was  united  in  m.uriage 
with  .Mice  Noyes,  a  daughter  of  a  prominent 
dry  goods  merchant  of  Wichita.  Mr.  Ami- 
don's  father  was  the  founder  and  builder  of  the 
first  Christian  church  of  Lake  county,  Ohio, 
and  our  subject  has  contributed  liberally  to 
this  as  well  as  many  other  worthy  causes,  thus 
winning  him  a  warm  place  in  the  hearts  of 
his  fellow  citizens.  We  take  pleasure  in  an- 
nouncing that  a  portrait  of  Mr.  .\niidoii  is 
shn\vn  on  a  nrecediiip-  i)aefe. 


AMUEL  W\  SHATTUCK,  Jr.,  has 
gained  much  prominence  as  an  attor- 
ney at  Wichita,  Kansas,  where  he  was 
admitted  to  practice  in  the  year  1889,  and  he  is 
recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  members  of 
the  Sedgwick  county  bar.    He  comes  from  old 
New  England  stock,  being  a  native  of  Boston, 
Massachusetts,   where  he  was  born   May    14, 
1866.  He  is  a  son  of  Samuel  W.  Shattuck,  Sr. 
His  father  came  west  in  1869  to  find  a  i)lace  on 
which    to    locate,    and    although    he    visited 
Wichita  he  continued  to  live  in  the  East  until 
iSjC),  when  he  settled  permanently  in  Sedgwick, 
1  larvey  county,   Kansas.     There  he  oi)ened  a 
hardware  store  and  has  successfully  conducted 
that  business  ever  since.     He  was  one  of  the 
first  men  to  engage  in  business  there,  and  is 
widely  known  throughout  that  county. 

Samuel  W.   Shattuck,  Jr.,   spent   his  early 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


255 


youth  in  nttending  the  public  scliools  of  Boston, 
and,  going  west  with  liis  father,  lie  subse- 
quently entered  the  Kansas  State  University,  at 
Lawrence,  Kansas,  from  which  lie  was  grad- 
uated in  1887.  He  then  commenced  reading 
law  in  Wichita  with  the  firm  of  Dale  &  Wall, 
two  of  the  most  prominent  attorneys  in  the 
state — the  former  being  judge  of  the  district 
court  and  the  latter  being  an  ex-judge  of  the 
same  court.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1889.  He  at  once  started  to  build  up  a  prac- 
tice in  Wichita,  where  he  soon  became  known 
as  a  shrewd  and  active  lawyer,  and  his  legal 
ability  has  gained  for  him  a  high  rank  in  his 
profession.  Mr.  Shattuck  is  still  a  young  man, 
full  of  energy  and  with  a  high  sense  of  honor, 
and  his  genial  disposition  has  won  for  him  the 
good  will  of  all  who  know  him. 


'  tr»  '  ^  M-  KIRBY  has  spent  his  entire  career 
p|  ^  in  pursuing  the  vocation  of  a  farmer, 
in  which  he  has  attained  a  high  degree 
of  success,  and  througliout  his  neighborhood  he 
enjoys  the  reputation  of  a  good,  cimscientious 
farmer  and  citizen.  He  was  born  February  15, 
1839,  at  Terre  Haute,  Indiana,  and  is  a  son  of 
Ricliard  and  Mary  Kirby,  both  of  whom  lived 
on  a  farm  near  that  city.  Both  died  when 
F.  M.  was  very  young — leaving  besides  him : 
\Villiam.  who  was  a  member  of  Company  A., 
35th  Reg.,  111.  Vol.  Inf.,  and  was  killed  at 
Dallas,  Georgia,  in  1865;  and  James,  who  is  a 
farmer  in  Sedgwick  county. 

F.  M.  Kirby  lived  until  he  was  fourteen  years 


of  age  with  a  man  by  the  name  of  Jeremiah 
Hayworth,  and  afterward  went  to  Douglas 
county,  Illinois,  where  he  carried  on  farming, 
although  he  did  not  engage  in  that  pursuit  until 
after  his  return  from  the  Civil  War.  The  date 
of  his  enlistment  was  July  3,  1861,  and  he  was 
a  member  of  Company  A,  35th  Reg.,  111.  Vol. 
Inf.,  which  was  luider  Captain  B.  Tabler,  of 
Bement,  Illinois.  March  7,  1862,  he  was  shot 
in  the  left  shoulder,  and  being  taken  a  prisoner 
spent  a  month  in  Van  Buren  prison,  in  Arkan- 
sas; but  four  months  later  he  was  aisle  to  rejoin 
his  company,  which  was  then  at  Nashville.  He 
took  part  in  many  skirmishes  while  there,  but 
was  shortly  laid  up  with  rheumatism,  and  dis- 
abled from  duty  for  six  months  and  seven  days. 
He  was  then  sent  to  Chicago,  Illinois,  where  he 
remained  until  he  recei\-ed  his  honorable  dis- 
charge, September  2,  1864.  In  the  same  year, 
he  went  to  Douglas  county,  Illinois,  where  he 
purchased  170  acres  of  land,  which  he  cultivated 
until  1892.  He  then  moved  to  Sedgwick  county, 
Kansas,  and  purchased  his  present  182-acre 
tract.  He  raises  considerable  grain  and  hogs. 
His  fellow  citizens  recognize  in  him  a  progres- 
sive and  enterprising  member  of  the  commun- 
ity and  his  many  friends  in  Sedgwick  county 
hold  him  in  high  esteem. 

Mr.  Kirby  was  married  in  Douglas  county, 
Illinois,  to  Mary  Drew,  and  to  them  have  been 
born  the  following  children  :  Laura,  the  wife 
of  John  Ferriter,  of  Wichita,  Kansas ;  Ida,  the 
wife  of  George  Epperson,  a  farmer  in  Waco 
township,  Sedgwick  county ;  Arthur,  a  farmer, 
of  Waco  township,  who  married  Fanny 
Horner ;  Helena,  the  wife  of  Henry  Robbins,  a 


256 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


farmer,  of  Sedgwick  county;  Earl:  Lavern; 
Leroy;  and  Daniel  F.  Mr.  Kirl)y  is  cunnnaiid- 
er  of  tlie  G.  A.  R.,  Derby  Tost  No.  262,  and  in 
religions  views,  lie  is  a  member  of  tlie  Mctbi)- 
dist  clnircb. 


ilO.MAS  II.  Mcl'MERSOX,  a  pros- 
perous farmer  residing-  on  section  23, 
Morton  tcwnsliip.  is  one  of  tlie  pioneer 
settlers  of  Sedgwick  county,  Kansas.  The  fact 
that  this  county  is  one  of  the  most  productive 
agricultural  counties  in  the  state,  is  due  to  such 
men  as  he.  Mr.  McPherson  is  a  self  made  man, 
having  accumulated  his  possessions  after  many 
years  of  hard  and  constant  toil,  and  he  is  fully 
deserving  of  a  place  among  the  most  prominent 
and  representative  farmers  of  Sedgwick  county. 
He  was  born  in  Noble  county,  Ohio,  in  1856, 
and  is  a  son  of  Leonard  and  Drusilla  (Barnes) 
McPherson. 

Leonard  McPherson  resided  in  Noble  county, 
Ohio,  several  years,  and  when  Thomas  H.  was 
but  three  years  old,  his  father  moved  the  family 
to  Fulton  county,  Illinois.  There  they  were 
reared  and  educated.  At  the  time  of  Leonard 
McPherson's  death,  he  was  residing  with  his 
son,  Thomas  H.  The  father  died  in  18S7.  his 
wife  having  died  two  weeks  after  the  birth  of 
the  subject  of  this  sketch.  They  were  the 
parents  of  six  children,  who  were  named  as  fol- 
lows: Elizabeth,  who  is  still  single,  and  lives 
in  Wichita,  Kansas;  Sarah,  who  is  deceased: 
Samuel,  who  lives  in  Valley  Center.  Kansas; 
Nancy,  who  lives  in  Illinois:  Tohn,  who  is  de- 


ceased; and  Thomas  II.,  who  is  the  youngest 
child. 

In  the  spring  of  1875,  ^I""-  McPherson  pre- 
empted the  iKjrtheast  quarter  of  .section  23, 
township  28,  range  4,  west,  which  he  still  owns, 
with  the  exception  of  the  northwest  40  acres. 
Buffalo  and  other  wild  game  were  \erv  plenti- 
ful at  that  time.  The  first  year  or  two  Mr. 
McPherson  made  his  living  by  freighting  and 
by  working  out.  His  nearest  neighbor  lived  a 
mile  and  a  half  away,  while  the  postoffice  and 
nearest  settlement  were  at  Afton,  six  miles 
away.  George  \\'alters,  now  of  Texas,  was  one 
of  his  closest  neighbors,  living  a  couple  of  miles 
away,  and  he  was  probably  the  earliest  squatter 
in  Morton  township.  Mr.  McPherson  did  his 
marketing  and  received  his  mail  at  W^ichita. 
He  labored  hard  to  get  the  soil  in  first  class 
condition,  which  he  accomplished  only  after 
many  years  of  toil.  From  the  very  start,  how- 
ever, he  made  a  good  living.  One  of  his  first 
improvements  was  the  setting  out  of  a  si.x-acre 
orchard,  and  during  his  first  years  on  the  place 
he  raised  mostly  grain,  for  which  the  ground 
was  well  adapted.  The  raising  of  live  stock 
now  occupies  much  of  his  attention,  and  he 
prefers  Poland-China  hogs  and  Durham 
cattle.  During  his  early  e.xperience  in  this 
county,  he  lived  in  a  sod  house  and  his  fire  wood 
was  obtained  from  a  five-acre  forest  which 
stood  on  his  farm :  but  since  1886,  he  has  lived 
in  his  present  house.  In  1893,  he  ]Hn-chased 
the  northwest  quarter  of  section  24,  which  is 
directly  east  of  his  home,  the  tract  having  been 
preempted  by  a  Mr.  McClure.  In  1900,  Mr. 
McPherson  raised  30  bushels  of  wheat  to  the 


// 


NATHAN  JACKSON  MOkRISDN,  D.l).,  LL.D. 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


259 


acre,  and  his  other  grain  also  yielded  largely. 
Mr.  McPherson  well  merits  the  success  which' 
he  has  achieved.  He  is  esteemed,  wherever 
known,  as  a  good  neighI)or  and  an  upright  cit- 
izen. 

Thomas  H.  McPherson  was  joined  in  mar- 
riage, in  1887,  to  Alice  Smith,  by  whom  he  has 
two  children, — Elmer,  aged  nine  3^ears,  and 
Bertha,  aged  six  years.  Politically,  he  is  a  Pop- 
ulist, and  has  served  on  the  school  board  and 
as  road  overseer.  The  subject  of  this  sketch 
has  led  a  life  worthy  of  imitation,  as  he  lias 
always  been  a  hard  worker  and  maintained  a 
high  standard  of  probity.  His  career  has  dem- 
onstrated what  a  man  can  do  in  starting  out  in 
a  new,  unsettled  country,  with  nothing  but  a 
team  of  Mexican  mules  and  a  wagon. 


rt^ATHAN  JACKSON  MORRISON,  D. 
D.,  LL.  D.,  president  of  Fairmount 
College,  Wichita,  Kansas,  whose 
portrait  is  presented  on  the  opposite  page,  was 
born  in  Franklin,  New  Hampshire,  November 
25,  1828,  being  the  second  son  and  youngest 
child  of  Nathan  Smith  and  Susannah  (Chase) 
Morrison.  Both  parents  were  of  Revolutionary 
stock.  His  father  was  a  farmer  and  lumber- 
man, cutting  the  big  pines  of  the  New  Hamp- 
shire forests  in  the  winter  and  in  the  spring 
"rafting"  them  down  the  Merrimack  River  and 
Middlesex  Canal  to  Boston,  where  they  were 
set  up  by  shipbuilders  on  the  many  sailing 
vessels,  built  in  Boston  shipyards,  that  in  those 
days  sailed  thence  to  every  quarter  of  the  globe. 


]Mr.  Morrison  had  one  year's  experience  in 
both  branches  of  the  lumbering  business,  ''log- 
ging" in  the  deep  woods  and,  with  long  ashen 
oar  in  hand,  guiding  the  rafts  over  the  numer- 
ous rapids  and  falls  of  the  swift  river. 

Until  nineteen  years  of  age,  most  of  his  time 
was  spent  in  the  hard  service  of  a  sterile  New 
Hampshire  farm.  He  was  prepared  for  college 
in  the  district  school,  a  few  rods  from  his  own 
home ;  in  an  autumn  select  school  two  miles 
away;  in  Meriden  (New  Hampshire)  Acad- 
emy; and  at  the  New  Hampton  Collegiate  In- 
stitute. He  graduated  at  Dartmouth  College 
in  1853,  in  the  same  class  with  the  American 
astronomer  Young,  the  seventh  scholar  in  a 
class  of  50.  He  began  teaching  before  enter- 
ing college,  and  defrayed  half  of  his  college 
expenses  (his  father  providing  for  the  other 
half),  by  teaching  winter  district  schools 
among  the  sailors  of  Cape  Cod  in  Massachu- 
setts, and  in  the  mountains  of  New  Hampshire. 

He  was  a  student  of  theology  at  Oberlin 
from  1854  to  1857,  having  as  one  of  his 
teachers  the  famous  evangelist  and  eloquent 
preacher.  Rev.  Charles  G.  Finney.  For  three 
of  the  four  years  at  Oberlin  he  was  tutor  of 
the  classical  languages,  and  had  the  offer  of 
a  permanent  position  in  the  faculty  of  Oberlin 
College. 

In  February.  1858,  he  was  ordained  pastor 
of  the  Congregational  church  at  Rochester, 
Michigan,  where  he  remained  with  a  steadily 
growing  and  united  church,  till  November, 
1859,  when  he  became  professor  of  Latin  and 
Greek  in  Olivet  College,  Michigan,  then  just 
opened.    One  of  his  earliest  and  most  important 


260 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


tasks  at  Olivet,  besides  helpini;  to  plaster  a 
lialf-finished  college  hiiildiiiy.  and  making  side- 
walks along  the  village  streets,  was  to  fornni- 
late  the  permanent  course  of  study  of  the  young 
college.  No  work  ever  done  by  him  has  given 
him  greater  satisfaction  in  the  retrospect  than 
this,  since  the  curriculum  then  adopted  fixed 
for  all  tiiue  the  high  grade  requirements  and 
scholarship  of  that  modest  but  excellent  col- 
lege. 

Among  his  early  students  in  (ireek  at  Olivet 
were  two  brothers,  Re\'.  John  Henry  Barrows, 
D.  D.,  organizer  and  manager  of  the  famous 
Parliament  of  Religions  during  the  World's 
Fair  in  1893,  "o^^'  president  of  Oberlin  College, 
and  Rev.  Walter  Manning  Barrows,  D.  D., 
scarcely  less  distinguished  during  his  short  but 
noble  life. 

On  the  retirement  of  the  first  president  of 
Olivet  College  in  i860,  Prof.  Morrison  be- 
came gradually  invested  with  the  administra- 
tion of  college  affairs,  and  in  1865  was  made 
president  of  the  college.  This  offlce  imposed 
on  him  the  hard  task  of  raising  money  for  the 
support,  enlargement  and  endowment  of  a 
struggling  young  college.  During  his  admin- 
istration (1865-1872)  the  college  grew  and 
prospered,  new  buildings  were  erected,  the  li- 
brary was  much  enlarged,  apparatus  secured,  a 
fine  reputation  for  scholarship  won,  and  an  en- 
dowment of  $50,000  to  $60,000  secured.  Tn 
June.  187J.  he  suddeidy  threw  up  his  commis- 
sion, tired  out  and  disgusted  with  the  seemingly 
endless  task  of  "begging"  money  for  the  insti- 
tution. It  was  his  purpose  to  accept  a  call  to 
the    pastorate    of    a    prominent    Presbyterian 


church  in  California,  but  sickness  in  his  family 
detained  him  for  several  niouilis  in  Michigan, 
and  by  ;uiil  l)y,  persuaded  by  influential  friends, 
he  decided  to  return  to  the  work  of  an  educator 
and  college  builder. 

In  1873,  he  organized  and  led  in  the  work 
of  establishing  what  is  now  so  favorably  known 
in  the  Southwest  as  Drury  College  at  Spring- 
field, Missouri, — so  called  after  Deacon  S.  F. 
Drury,  of  Olivet.  Michigan,  Dr.  Morrison's 
lifelong  friend,  who  contributed  $25,000 
toward  the  founding  of  the  Springfield  college. 
Mr.  Drury  was  a  man  of  a  million  in  Christian 
faith,  in  practical  philanthropy,  and  in  conse- 
cration of  himself  and  his  possessions  to  the 
cause  of  Christian  education.  Dr.  Morrison 
was  president  of  Drury  College  from  the  be- 
ginning until  January  i,  1888,  when  he  re- 
signed and  removed  to  Marietta.  Ohio.  Com- 
mencing his  work  at  Springfield  in  an  open  field 
in  1873,  during  his  administration  of  fourteen 
years,  four  college  buildings  were  erected  and 
one  purchased  at  a  total  cost  of  about  $11 5,000, 
the  college  campus  enlarged  to  more  than  40 
acres,  the  attendance  of  students  advanced  from 
39  at  the  o])ening  to  nearly  400  at  the  close  of 
the  period,  14  successive  classes  graduated, 
and  funds  collected  in  Springfield  and  St. 
Louis,  Missouri,  and  in  the  states  of  Michigan, 
Ohio,  New  York,  and  in  New  England  to  an 
aggregate  amount  of  nearly  $400,000,  of  which 
$80,000  was  productive  endowment.  Most 
of  this  large  sum  was  secured  Ijy  his  personal 
efforts.  From  1888  to  June,  1895.  Dr.  INIorri- 
son  was  professor  of  psychology  and  philosophy 
in  Marietta  College,  Ohio. 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


261 


In  the  springy  of  1895,  the  president  of  the 
Congregational  Education  Society  of  Boston — 
who  had  given  the  great  sum  of  $80,000  toward 
the  upbuilding  and  endowment  of  Drury  Col- 
lege— invited  Prof.  Morrison  to  visit  Wichita, 
Kansas,  and  see  if  Fairmount  Institute,  for 
several  years  a  beneficiary  of  the  Congrega- 
tional Education  Society,  could  be  built  up, 
and  how.  Reporting  to  the  society  and  being 
invited  by  the  trustees  of  the  institute  to  take 
its  affairs  in  charge,  he  came  to  Wichita  early 
in  August,  1895,  '^''"^l-  wilder  the  joint  authority 
of  the  local  trustees  and  the  directors  of  the 
Congregational  Education  Society,  proceeded 
to  develop  the  "institute"  into  a  true  college. 
On  September  25,  1895,  "Fairmount  College" 
opened  its  first  term,  with  a  faculty  of  four 
instructors  and  less  than  40  students,  of  whom 
12  were  Freshmen,  all  the  rest  being  prepara- 
tory, or  academy,  students. 

Dr.  Morrison  was  married,  July  8,  1863, 
to  Miranda  Capen  Dimond,  daughter  of  Isaac 
Marquand  and  Sarah  (Capen)  Dimond,  at 
Brooklyn,  New  York,  Rev.  R.  S.  Storrs,  D.  D., 
L.L.  D.,  officiating.  Three  children  were 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Morrison,  all  in  Olivet: 
Sarah  Dimond  (dying  at  Marietta,  Ohio,  April 
13,  1891),  Theodore  Harlan  (now  assistant 
librarian  at  Fairmount  College),  and  Douglas 
Putnam  (now  an  electrical  engineer  in  New- 
Jersey). 

While  he  was  in  Europe,  in  1868,  Dartmouth 
College  conferred  on  him  the  degree  of  Doctor 
of  Divinity,  and  in  1884,  on  the  occasion  of  his 
preaching  the  university  baccalaureate  sermon, 
the  State  University  of  Missouri  honored  him 


with  the  degree  of  L.L.  D.  At  Dartmouth 
College  he  was  a  member  of  the  Alpha  Delta 
Phi  fraternity  and  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  soci- 
ety. He  has  also  been  a  member  of  the  Ameri- 
can Society  for  the  Advancement  of  Science. 

His  father  was  a  Jeffersonian  Democrat  in 
1808-18 1 5,  when  followers  of  the  great  Vir- 
ginian were  almost  as  scarce  in  New  England 
as  "hens'  teeth."  The  son  followed  in  the 
political  footsteps  of  his  revered  father,  as  a 
little  boy  shouting  for  Van  Buren  in  1840, 
acting  as  chairman  of  the  executive  committee 
of  the  Dartmouth  Pierce  and  King  Club,  and 
casting  his  first  presidential  vote  for  Franklin 
Pierce  in  1852.  But  the  Kansas-Nebraska  in- 
iquity of  the  Pierce  atlministration  compelled 
him  to  vote  for  Fremont  in  1856,  and  since 
that  time  he  has  endeavored  to  carry  out  the 
Democratic  tenets  inherited  from  his  sire  by 
consistently  voting — frequently  with  scratched 
tickets — with  the  national  party  that  destroyed 
.'Vmerican  slavery,  and  thus  made  possible  the 
realization  in  America  of  the  fundamental  prin- 
ciples of  Jefferson's  theory  of  democracy. 

In  early  life  Dr.  Morrison  united  with  his 
father's  church,  the  humble  denomination 
known  as  the  "Christians,"  or  the  "Christian 
Baptists."  While  a  student  at  Olierlin  he 
joined  the  first  Congregational  church  at  that 
place,  because  of  the  remarkable  interest  of 
Congregationalists  in  promoting  education,  and 
has  continued  in  that  communion  ever  since, 
though  he  cares  little  for  names,  and  could 
do  his  appointed  educational  work  in  each  of 
half  a  dozen  other  communions,  with  just  as 
ready  a  will. 


362 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


If  the  subject  of  this  sketch  has  been  able, 
in  liis  protracted  career  as  a  teacher  and  college 
builder,  to  render  any  valuable  service  to  man- 
kind, he  owes  the  inspiration  of  it  to  the  exam- 
ple of  a  Christian  father,  wlio  was  ever  ready 
to  give  service  and  money  to  promote  the  public 
good.  One  act  of  the  father  deeply  impressed 
the  youthful  mind  of  the  son :  a  farmer  in  New 
Hampshire,  whose  whole  estate  was  not  worth 
$7,000,  he  gave  at  one  time  $300  toward  build- 
ing a  Christian  college  in  the  then  distant  state 
of  Ohio. 


I-  W.  GILL,  the  well  known  and  popular 
undertaker  of  Wichita,  Kansas,  was  born 
•  at  Reedsburg,  Wayne  county,  Ohio,  in 
1858,  and  is  a  son  of  William  and  Julia  (Sny- 
ser)  Gill. 

William  Gill  was  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion and  a  very  successful  business  man.  He 
and  his  wife  were  parents  of  the  following 
children:  .Sarah,  wife  of  Wesley  McMasters, 
of  Worcester,  Ohio;  Daniel,  who  is  ]i\ing  at 
Reedsburg,  Ohio;  Susan  (Hines),  of  Reeds- 
burg, Ohio ;  Henry,  who  is  identified  with  rail- 
road work  at  Jeromeville,  Ohio ;  L  W.,  whose 
name  heads  this  sketch ;  and  George,  who  is 
also  a  railroad  man.  of  Jeromeville,  Ohio. 

I.  W.  Gill  received  his  primary  education  in 
the  country  schools  and  later  attended  the 
schools  of  Reedsburg.  When  but  eighteen  years 
of  age,  he  began  teaching  school  and  followed 
that  vocation  for  five  years,  after  which  he  came 
to  Kansas.  He  moved  to  Wichita  in  1884.  and 
settled  seven  miles  southwest  of  the  city,  where 


he  resided  and  was  engaged  in  farming  for 
three  years;  during  the  winter  seasons  of  that 
period  he  taught  the  district  school  located  upon 
his  property.  He  then  went  to  the  city  of 
Wichita  and  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business, 
and  subse(|uently  worked  in  the  office  of  County 
Treasurer  T.  B.  Cartwright,  from  1888  to 
1 89 1,  in  the  latter  year,  he  exchanged  some 
property  for  ;i  half  interest  in  an  undertaking 
establishment. — the  other  half  being  owned  by 
S.  S.  Boaz,  of  Noblesvillc.  Indiana.  He  soon 
bought  out  his  partner,  and  having  secured  an 
embalmer's  license  from  the  state  board  of 
health,  carried  on  the  business  alone.  Mr.  Gill 
is  a  graduate  of  first  class  embalming  institu- 
tions, as  follows :  Clark's  School  of  Embalm- 
ing, Kansas  City,  Missouri ;  and  the  Oriental 
School  of  Embalming,  of  Cincinnati.  Ohio.  He 
holds  state  license.  No.  65,  from  the  state  board 
of  health.  He  has  built  up  a  good  business  and 
has  the  highest  class  of  patronage  in  the  city, 
and  its  constant  increase  necessitates  the  serv- 
ices of  two  assistants.  He  carries  an  excellent 
line  of  everything  requiretl  in  the  business,  giv- 
ing none  of  his  attention  to  side  lines,  as  is  fre- 
quently the  case.  The  front  part  of  his  store 
is  partitioned  off  as  a  fine  office  or  waiting 
room,  and  affords  no  suggestion  of  the  splendid 
array  of  stock  in  the  rear.  Mr.  Cjill  sold  his 
farm  and  purchased  the  fine  residence  property 
at  No.  241  North  Emporia  street, — the  house 
having  been  built  by  Rev.  Mr.  Hewitt,  of  the 
First  Presbyterian  church. 

Mr.  Gill  was  united  in  marriage,  in  Ohio, 
with  Eva  C.  Miller,  a  daughter  of  J.  P.  and 
Margaret    (Hess)    Miller,   pioneer  settlers  of 


T.HP 
,         '^fW  YORK       , 


FREUEKICK  W  .  WIIITLOCK.   M.  U. 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


265 


Reedsbnrg,  Ohio.  They  have  two  children : 
J.  M.  and  Hugli  W.,  both  of  whom  are  at 
school.  Mr.  Gill  is  Democratic  in  political  be- 
lief, though  not  a  politician.  He  served  from 
1894  to  1896  on  the  board  of  education  from 
the  Fifth  Ward,  and  was  reelected  in  the  spring 
of  1899.  Fraternally,  he  is  a  member  of 
Wichita  Lodge,  No.  99,  A.  F.  &  A.  U. ;  Wich- 
ita Consistory,  No.  2 ;  and  has  taken  the  thirty- 
second  degree,  Scottish  Rites.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F. ;  Knights  of  Pythias ; 
A.  O.  U.  W. ;  Degree  of  Honor ;  W'oodmen  of 
the  World;  Knights  of  the  Maccabees;  Fra- 
ternal Aid ;  and  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star,  of 
which  his  wife  is  also  a  member. 


f  "FREDERICK  W.  WHITLOCK,  M. 
D.,  whose  portrait  is  shown  herewith,  is 
one  of  the  most  faithful  of  physicians, 
ever  looking  to  the  interest  and  progress  of 
his  profession  ;  his  varied  and  extensive  practice 
of  medicine  has  gained  fur  him  a  high  position 
among  his  brother  physicians.  As  a  practi- 
tioner his  success  could  have  been  no  better,  for 
he  has  established  a  large  and  lucrative  prac- 
tice, and  his  easy  address  and  sincerity  of  pur- 
pose have  won  for  liim  the  esteem  and  confi- 
dence of  the  entire  community  in  which  he  re- 
sides. Dr.  Whitlock  was  born  November  13, 
1823,  in  Hanover,  Germany,  and  is  a  son  of 
Frederick  Whitlock,  Sr.,  who  was  a  millwright 
by  trade. 

Our  subject   was  a   lad  of  fourteen  years, 
wlien  his  father  came  to  this  country  and  lo- 


cated in  Van  Buren  county,  Iowa,  and  there 
he  received  much  of  his  early  schooling,  for 
he  had  first  attended  school  in  the  old  country. 
For  his  life's  vocation  he  chose  the  trade  of  a 
cabinetmaker,  and  in  early  manhood  established 
a  furniture  store  at  Farmington,  Iowa,  in  which 
business  he  was  quite  successful.     On  account 
of  poor  health,  however,  he  was  compelled  to 
give  up  his  business,  and  after  taking  a  great 
deal  of  medicine,  went  to  Quincy,  Illinois,  to  be 
treated  for  consumption.     While  there  he  com- 
menced to  study  medicine  which,  after  several 
years  of  hard   study,   he  was  called   upon  to 
practice.    He  then  went  to  St.  Louis,  Missouri, 
where  he  graduated  from  a  Homoeopathic  col- 
lege in  1868;  returning  to  his  home  in  Iowa, 
he  practiced  there  until  1880.     Being  so  well 
adapted  to  his  profession,  he  soon  acquired  a 
large  practice  and  calls  for  his  services  came 
from  points  many  miles  distant,  as  is  the  case 
at  present.     Wishing  to  build  up  a  large  office 
practice,  which  he  was  unable  to  do  there  be- 
cause of  the  size  of  the  village,  he  located  in 
Wichita,   Kansas,  where  he  now  has  a  large 
practice.    He  opened  up  fine  office  rooms  at  No. 
-SSV-    South  Main  street,  at  which  place  he 
may  be  found  nearly  all  times  of  the  day  looking 
after  his  many  patrons.    As  a  skillful  and  prac- 
tical physician,  he  has  gained  much  prominence 
throughout   the  county  and   he  possesses  the 
good  will  and  confidence  of  all  who  know  him. 
Dr.   Whitlock  was  joined   in   marriage,   in 
1848,  with  Catherine  Reckmeyer,  of  St.  Louis, 
who  was  born  in  1830.     She  passed  from  this 
life  in  1861,  leaving  three  children,  named  as 
follows:     Edward  A.,  who  died  in  1897,  was 


266 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


a  graduate  from  the  Cincinnati  Medical  College 
and  was  married  to  Miss  Richer,  by  whom  he 
had  f(nir  chiMren ;  Albert  is  a  physician  of 
Wichita,  Kansas;  and  Camline  K.  is  the  wife  of 
J.  J.  Feckley,  nf  Kingfisher,  Oklahoma,  and  she 
has  two  children,  Edith  and  Arthur.  Dr.  Whit- 
lock  formed  a  second  union  with  Christina 
Behme  in  1862. 


(i.  MUELLER,  a  gentleman  wIid  has 
had  twenty  years  of  experience  in  the 
undertaking  business,  is  proprietor 
of  one  of  the  largest  establishments  of  that 
character  between  St.  Louis  and  Denver,  the 
location  of  which  is  at  Wichita,  Kansas. 

Mr.  Mueller  was  born  at  Williamsville,  10 
miles  from  Buffalo,  New  York,  in  1865.  and  is 
a  son  of  P.  J.  Mueller,  a  tailor  who  now  resides 
and  works  at  his  trade  in  Wichita.  He  attended 
the  public  schools,  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years 
engaged  with  Brady  &  Drullard.  reputed  to  be 
the  best  undertakers  of  Buftalo,  New  York. 
He  continued  with  them  for  three  or  four  years 
and  then  went  to  New  Haven,  Connecticut, 
where  he  started  in  with  the  firm  of  Lewis  & 
Maycock, — they  having  the  necessary  capital, 
and  be  the  required  experience.  He  remained 
there  for  three  years,  and  in  the  fall  of  1888 
followed  the  other  members  of  bis  family  to 
Wichita,  Kansas.  His  father,  mother,  an  uncle, 
and  four  brothers  were  then  located  in  Kansas. 
His  brothers  are  as  follows:  H.  S.,  post- 
master at  Sedgwick,  Harvey  county,  Kansas; 
Charles  P.,  a  florist,  of  Wichita,  a  history  of 
whose  life  is  recorded  elsewhere  in  this  volume ; 


F.  W.,  a  harness  maker  of  Mount  Hope;  and 
E.  J.,  who  is  in  business  with  his  brother, 
Charles  P. 

In  1S97,  A.  G.  Mueller  opened  his  present 
completely  ci|uipped  place  (if  business,  pro- 
nounced by  traveling  men  to  be  the  finest  be- 
tween St.  Louis  and  Denver.  It  is  located  at 
No.  213  North  Main  street  and  is  devoted  en- 
tirely to  undertaking.  He  is  a  master  of  his 
profession,  having  at  tlifferent  times  taken  in- 
structions in  the  leading  schools  of  the  country 
— at  Rochester  and  Buffalo,  New  York,  and 
Springfield,  Illinois — and  having  passed  the  ex- 
amination before  the  state  board  of  health,  with 
one  (if  the  highest  gradings.  He  is  thoroughly 
up-to-date,  antl  carries  a  heavy  line  of  stock  in 
the  usual  requisites  of  the  business.  He  has  a 
fine  office  in  the  front  part  of  the  building,  and 
directly  back  of  it  is  a  room  where  funerals 
may  be  held.  He  has  the  only  room  in  the  city 
which  is  fitted  uj)  solely  for  use  as  a  morgue. 
He  has -fi  cabinet  for  showing  samples,  and  all 
appliances  for  perfect  embalming.  He  has 
black  and  light  colored  hearses,  with  carriages 
and  horses.  His  business  has  ever  been  on  the 
increase,  and  be  employs  two  assistants.  He 
is  the  owner  of  a  fine  home  in  the  city  of 
Wichita. 

Mr.  Mueller  was  united  in  marriage ^at  New 
Haven,  Connecticut,  with  Grace  Couch,  and 
they  have  three  children:  Olive,  Ruth,  and 
Reed.  He  is  a  Mason  of  the  thirtj'-second  de- 
gree, Scottish  Rites;  and  has  passed  all  the 
chairs  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows, and  of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen,  in  which  he  was  grand  overseer  of 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


267 


the  Kansas  organization  for  one  year.  Both  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Mueller  are  members  of  the  M.  E. 
church.  The  former  lias  been  a  member  for 
the  past  twenty-five  years,  and  has  held  many  of 
the  offices  connected  with  the  church. 


ILLI.VM  U.  TAYLOR  is  one  of 
the  most  prominent  and  inHuential 
citizens  of  Sedgwick  county,  Kansas, 
within  whose  borders  he  has  resided  since  Feb- 
ruary lo,  1877,  and  has  served  as  postmaster  of 
the  village  of  Garden  Plain  since  1892.  He  is 
a  wide  awake  and  enterprising  business  man 
and  in  connection  with  his  official  duties,  deals 
extensively  in  real  estate,  in  which  he  has  met 
with  notable  success.  He  was  born  Octolier 
29,  1844,  in  Marietta,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of 
William  H.  and  Susan  H.  (Talbot)  Taylor. 

William  H.  Taylor,  Sr.,  was  born  in  \'er- 
mont,  and  was  a  harness  maker  liy  trade.  In 
1839  he  left  his  nati\e  state  to  become  a  resi- 
dent of  Marietta,  Ohio,  where  he  lived  until 
1856,  and  thence  moved  to  Mount  Pleasant, 
Iowa,  where  he  engaged  in  the  hide  and  leather 
business.  In  1875,  '''^  remo\-ed  to  Sedgwick 
county,  Kansas,  taking  up  the  S(.)uthwest  quar- 
ter of  section  20,  Garden  Plain  township.  After 
he  had  lived  on  it  four  years,  he  sold  it  to  the 
subject  hereof,  and  returned  to  Mount  Pleas- 
ant, Iowa.  In  that  cil\-  he  s])ent  his  last  days, 
dying  there  at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  His 
wife  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  and  they 
were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  as  follows: 
Sarah  E. ;  Benjamin  P.,  who  died  in  1863,  in 


the  Civil  War;  William  H.,  to  whom  this 
record  ])ertains;  Mary  Susan  ;  .\nna  A. ;  Jennie 
L.,  who  is  the  wife  of  William  Van  Benthen- 
sen,  managing  editor  of  the  Ncz^'  York  IVorld; 
Nellie  L. ;  and  Rollie,  deceased. 

William  H.  Taylor  obtained  a  good  educa- 
tiim  in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  town, 
and  in  the  West  Union  Military  Academy,  at 
Fulton,  Illinois.  During  the  Civil  War,  he  en- 
listed in  Company  A,  45th  Reg.,  Iowa  Vol. 
Inf.,  at  Keokuk,  Iowa,  and  served  five  months. 
Returning  home  after  the  war,  he  operated  a 
trunk  factory,  in  connection  with  farming. 
Four  years  later,  he  went  to  Kansas,  and  after- 
ward purcliased  a  farm  in  section  9,  Garden 
Plain  township.  This  he  cultivated  until  1882, 
when  he  sold  it  for  $4,000,  and  moving  to  the 
village  of  Garden  Plain,  began  to  deal  in  real 
estate.  He  built  the  first  house  in  the  village, 
and  is  now  the  owner  of  14  other  houses  within 
its  limits.  He  buys  considerable  grain  and  con- 
ducts a  livery  stable.  He  is  the  owner  of  960 
acres  of  land  in  Sedgwick  county,  which  he 
leases,  and  is  agent  of  20  other  farms  belonging 
to  non-residents.  Mr.  Taylor  has  always  lent 
his  influence  to  foster  worth)-  enterprises,  and 
is  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  his  fellow  citi- 
zens, who  recognize  in  him  a  man  of  the  highest 
sense  of  personal  and  public  honor.  His  duties 
of  postmaster  are  fulfilled  with  credit  to  himself 
and  satisfaction  to  the  community. 

Mr.  Taylor  was  married  in  1866,  to  Emma 
Ida  Potter,  of  Mount  Pleasant,  Iowa,  who  died 
October  11,  1879,  leaving  three  children:  Ed- 
ward, who  is  editor  of  the  Jounial  of  Commerce 
at  St.  Joseph,  Missouri ;  William  Albert,  who  is 


288 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


a  pressman  on  the  Tacoina  Lcdficr.  at  Tacoma, 
Washington;  and  George  11.,  who  is  an  cn- 
gia\cr.  in  the  last  named  city.  Mr.  Taylor's 
second  union  was  witli  Annie  A.  Vose,  of  Scott, 
Michigan.  Politically,  the  snhject  of  this  sketch 
is  a  strong  advocate  of  the  principles  of  the 
l\ei)ul)lican  party,  and  has  served  his  fellow- 
citizens  as  a  .school  director.  He  is  a  niemher 
of  the  Methodist  cliurch. 


1^  VROX  E.  .\RTM.\X.M.  D.,  has  ac- 
I  [^\  <|i''''cd  considerahle  prominence  as  a 
physician  in  Sedgwick  county,  Kan- 
sas, and  since  locating  in  this  county,  on  May 
6,  1897,  he  has  made  his  Jieadcpiarters  at  Gar- 
den Plain.  He  was  born  in  Indianapolis,  In- 
diana, September  19,  i860,  and  is  a  son  of  A. 
.\.  Artman. 

A.  A.  .\rtman  was  Imrn  in  Westmoreland 
county.  Pennsylvania,  and  during  his  early  life 
learned  the  trades  of  millwright,  car])enter  and 
cabinetmaker.  When  nineteen  years  of  age,  he 
located  in  IndianajKjIis,  Indiana,  where  he  i)ur- 
sucd  fine  iif  his  trades  until  1869.  In  that  year, 
Mr.  .\rtnian  located  in  Olathe.  Kansas,  and 
continued  work  as  a  mechanic,  in  connection 
with  farming.  In  1895,  he  sold  out  and  moved 
to  the  village  of  Olathe,  where  he  has  since  con- 
tracted for  carpenter  work,  lie  has  been  quite 
successful  in  life  and  is  well  and  favorably 
known  where  he  now  resides.  He  was  joined 
in  matrimony  with  Mary  Shellhammer,  also  a 
native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  they  reared  four 
children,  namely:  Mary,  wife  of  George  W. 
Custer,  of  Johnson  county,  Kansas;  Byron  E. ; 


J.  E..  who  wedded  Emma  Kluze  and  lives  in 
Greenwood  cnunty.  Kansas;  and  Daisy  Mabel, 
who  is  the  wife  of  Harry  Hay.  of  Johnson 
county,  Kansas. 

\Vhen  a  latl  of  ten  years,  Byron  E.  Artman 
left  home,  and  during  the  following  nine  years 
traveled  throughout  the  Southern  States  work- 
ing at  various  occupations.  Being  economical, 
he  soon  rai.sed  enungli  money  to  obtain  a  thor- 
ough schooling,  and  when  nineteen  years  old 
went  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  to  attend  the  Eclectic 
Medical  College.  He  received  his  degree  in 
1888,  and  at  once  began  to  practice  at  Mound 
City,  Kansas.  A  year  afterward  he  changed 
his  head(|uarters  to  Tulsa,  Indian  Territory, 
and  three  years  later  located  at  Deepwater,  Mis- 
souri, where  he  spent  one  year.  His  next  field 
of  j)ractice  was  at  Junction  City,  Oregon,  where 
he  remained  until  he  settled  in  Garden  Plain, 
Kansas.  Dr.  Artman  has  met  with  good  suc- 
cess wherever  he  has  been  located,  and  in  his 
present  sphere  of  duty  he  is  doing  especially 
well,  having  built  up  a  large  and  lucrative  prac- 
tice. He  is  a  very  successful  physician,  and  is 
well  worthy  of  the  confidence  placed  in  him, 
being  highly  esteemed  in  both  social  and  busi- 
ness circles. 

Dr.  Artman  was  married  in  Olathe,  Kansas, 
to  Lovina  C.  \'osburg,  a  native  of  Valparaiso. 
Indiana,  and  a  daughter  of  William  and  Sarah 
Vosburg.  To  this  union  three  children  have 
been  born :  Ara  May.  Keith  Byron,  and  Leo 
Clifton.  The  Doctor  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O. 
O.  O.  F.  Lodge  No.  266,  of  Goddard,  Kansas, 
and  also  belongs  to  the  Oregon  State  Medical 
Society. 


KOIiEKT  S.  COOK. 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


271 


|OBERT  S.  COOK,  a  pn.minent  stuck 
ireeder  of  Sedgwick  cimnlv,  Kansas, 
wliose  portrait  is  herewith  presented, 
is  located  on  section  14,  township  27.  range  i, 
east.  He  was  born  November  7,  1849,  ''^  Clark 
county,  Ohio,  and  is  the  eldest  son  of  Andrew 
J.  and  /Vnn  E.  (Stevens)  Cook,  the  former  a 
native  of  Massachusetts,  and  the  latter  a  native 
of  Ohio. 

Mr.  Cook  is  one  of  three  children,  as  follows  : 
Robert  S. ;  Helena  (Sayes)  of  Ohio;  and  Mrs. 
Woodford.  The  family  moved  to  St.  Louis 
county,  Missouri,  in  the  spring  of  1861,  and  in 
1864  located  in  Morgan  county,  Illinois.  There 
they  resided  until  the  fall  of  1869,  when  they 
came  through  to  Topeka,  Kansas,  where  they 
spent  the  winter.  In  the  spring  of  1870,  our 
subject  and  his  father  came  to  Sedgwick 
county,  arriving  on  May  5,  and  secured  from 
the  government  some  of  the  Osage  trust  land, 
upon  which  the  former  still  resides.  One  to(_)k 
the  southeast  quarter  and  the  other  the 
southwest  cjuarter  of  section  14,  township 
2"],  range  i,  east.  Andred  J.  Cook  was  a  car- 
penter by  trade  and  they  built  a  shanty  and  kept 
bachelor's  hall  the  first  year,  leax'ing  the  family 
with  relatives  at  Topeka.  Emporia  was-  the 
nearest  railroad  town,  and  fnim  there  lumber 
was  hauled  during  the  winter  of  1870-1871. 
The  father  died  September  2,  1894,  his  wife 
having  died  in  February  of  the  preceding  year. 
The  old  home  and  20  acres  of  the  land  belongs 
to  Robert  S.  Cook,  in  addition  to  that  which 
he  acquired  for  himself. 

October  8,  1875,  the  stibject  of  this  sketch 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Carrie  Copeland, 


who  died  in  1885,  leaving  three  children: 
Charles  E..  Blanche  C,  and  Elmer.  He  subse- 
quently formed  a  second  marriage  with  his  first 
wife's  sister,  Fannie  E.  (Copeland)  Winger,  a 
native  of  Illinois,  and  to  them  was  born  one 
daughter,  Carrie.  Mrs.  Cook  died  in  1894, 
since  which  time  his  eldest  daughter  has  kept 
house  for  him. 

In  1875,  ^Ii'-  Cook  built  two  rooms  of  the 
present  house,  in  which  he  and  his  wife  com- 
menced housekeeping.  His  first  barn  was  a 
typical  Kansas  barn,  constructed  of  poles  and 
covered  with  a  hay  roof.  He  later  built  a  horse 
barn,  32  by  40  feet,  and  1899  a  large  cow  l^arn, 
with  a  capacity  for  36  cows  and  50  tons  of 
alfalfa  hay,  which  he  raises  exclusively.  The 
farm  is  also  well  supplied  with  hog  sheds  and 
other  desirable  outbuildings.  He  has  made  a 
specialty  of  Poland-China  hogs,  with  which 
he  has  had  wonderful  success.  He  exhibited  at 
the  World's  Fair  in  1893,  '"^"'1  there  was  but  one 
breeder  who  received  as  many  ribbons  as  Mr. 
Cook.  He  has  taken  prizes  wdierever  he  has 
exhibited ;  including  the  Omaha  Exposition,  in 
1898.  In  1897,  he  started  a  young  herd  in 
Ohio,  througli  Mabis  Bros.,  and  at  the  Ohio 
State  Fair,  in  1899,  captured  the  Sweepstakes 
prize.  Ohio  people  then  sent  to  Mr.  Cook  for 
more  of  his  fine  animals.  He  also  ships  to 
Texas,  Mississippi,  Tennessee,  and  other  states. 
He  keeps  on  hand  35  brood  sows  and  six  boars, 
anti  a  large  number  of  pigs.  He  has  about  30 
head  of  milch  cows,  including  Jerseys,  Short- 
horns, and  Holsteins.  He  farms  325  acres, 
and  has  70  acres  in  alfalfa.  During  the  boom, 
he  was  offered  $90,000  to  part  with  his  place, 


272 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RFXORD 


but  refused.     In  addition  to  liis  oilier  lines,  he 
successfully  runs  a  cream  dairy. 

.\lr.  Cook  is  a  stanch  Re])ul)lican  in  politics, 
and  has  liecn  township  clerk  for  thirteen  years, 
and  also  a  nieml)er  of  the  sciiool  Ixiard  since 
1883.  He  and  his  father  each  gave  an  acre  of 
land  on  w  hich  the  hrick  school  house  of  district 
No.  2  was  Iniilt  in  1S73.  ^'^^  '^^^s  t"^^"  ''"' 
portuned  to  accept  nominations  for  other  jnihlic 
offices,  such  as  representative  and  county  treas- 
urer, but  has  always  refused.  Religiously,  he 
is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  He 
has  served  as  president  of  the  Kansas  State 
Swine  Breeders'  Association. 


-OHX  A.  HARTLEY  is  the  genial  and. 
poi)ular  postmaster  of  the  village  of 
Cheney,  Kansas,  where  he  has  been  a 
resident  for  many  years.  He  was  born  in  June, 
1855,  in  Marion  county,  Iowa,  and  is  a  son  of 
William  T.  and  Martha  (Lockett)  Hartley. 

William  T.  Hartley  was  born  in  Virginia 
and  reared  in  Illinois.  His  wife  was  a  native 
of  Kentucky,  and  was  also  reared  in  Illinois. 
They  had  seven  children,  namely ;  John  A. ; 
William  A.;  M.  L. ;  Lizzie;  Lotie;  and  two 
who  died  in  infancy.  Of  these  seven  children, 
John  A.  and  Lotie  are  the  sole  survivors — the 
latter  now  residing  in  Bourbon  county,  Kan- 
sas. Their  father  died  in  the  year  1889.  I" 
the  spring  of  1856,  after  a  couple  of  years'  resi- 
dence in  Iowa,  William  T.  Hartley  moved  to 
Crawford  county,  Kansas,  and  there  took  up 
land,  under  the  preemption  act,  at  $2.50  per 


acre.  I'"or  three  years  he  served  in  the  2nd 
Kansas  Battery  of  Light  .\rtillery,  during  most 
of  wiiich  time  the  battery  was  at  the  post  in 
.\rkansas.  On  the  tract  purchased  in  1856  he 
spent  his  latter  days,  pursuing  the  vocation  of 
a  farmer  until  his  death. 

Jiihn  .\.  Hartley  was  reared  to  manhood  and 
recei\e(l  his  early  schooling  in  Crawford 
county.  Kansas,  but  when  he  attained  the  age 
of  twenty-one  years  he  left  home.  With  onl)' 
his  pony,  saddle  and  bridle,  and  with  but  75 
cents  in  his  pocket,  he  started  out  for  Sedgwick 
county,  where  he  located  in  Erie  township  and 
filed  a  claim  to  the  southeast  quarter  of  section 
6,  township  29.  range  4.  west.  Being  a  single 
man.  he  ])ut  up  a  very  small  house  and  at  once 
began  to  make  improvements  upon  his  farm. 
He  carried  on  farming  with  good  success  until 
1884.  when  he  sold  the  property,  which  now 
forms  a  part  of  the  large  Jewett  ranch.  Mr. 
Hartley  then  rented  different  farms  and,  as  he 
lived  near  Cheney,  was  appointed  postmaster  of 
that  village,  in  1897.  This  office  he  has  since 
filled  with  great  credit  to  himself  and  satisfac- 
tion to  his  patrons,  and  is  a  man  well  worthy 
and  fully  competent  to  perform  the  duties  of 
that  office.  Mr.  Hartley  is  the  fifth  postmaster 
of  this  village.  E.  ^^■.  Joslyn  was  the  first  in- 
cumbent.— going  into  office  in  1882;  James 
Wingart.  now  of  Oklahoma,  was  the  second ; 
W.  A.  Thomas,  who  died  in  office,  was  the 
third,  and  the  balance  of  his  term  was  filled  by 
Mrs.  Thomas:  John  I.  Saunders,  who  is  now  in 
the  hardware  business  in  Cheney,  was  the 
fourth,  and  Mr.  Hartley  succeeded  him.  There 
has  been  a  steady  increase  in  business  since  he 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


273 


tdcik  charge  of  the  postoffice,  as  shown  liy  the 
fact  that  Idck-boxes  are  in  great  demand,  for 
when  he  assumed  the  duties  of  tlie  position, 
tliere  were  64  empty  boxes.  The  subject  of 
this  sketch  enjoys  the  reputation  of  being  an 
active  and  energetic  Inisiness  man,  ever  devoted 
to  tlie  promotion  of  the  best  interests  of  his 
adopted  village. 

In  1884,  Mr.  Hartley  was  joined  in  marriage 
with  Emily  Culver,  daughter  of  O.  Culver,  now 
of  Oklahoma,  but  an  early  settler  of  Sedgwick 
county,  and  tr)  this  union  four  children  have 
been  born,  as  follows:  Mattie  M.,  aged  four- 
teen years ;  Oscar  E.,  aged  twelve  years ;  Harry, 
aged  ten  years ;  and  Chester,  aged  three  years. 
Mr.  Hartley  is  a  member  of  the  Christian 
church,  of  Cheney,  and  subscribed  liberally 
towani  the  erection  of  its  present  place  of  wor- 
ship. In  j)olitics,  he  is  afliliatetl  with  the  Re- 
publican party.  He  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O. 
O.  F.,  of  Cheney,  having  joined  the  order  in 
1890. 


Y'*'^  W.  JOSLYN,  a  thrifty  and  enter- 
pi  prising  business  man  of  Cheney, 
'^""""""^  Kansas,  possesses  many  sterling 
qualities  and  is  typical  of  the  self  made  class,  as 
the  livelihood  of  the  family  depended  upon  his 
exertions  when  he  was  but  a  young  boy.  In 
starting  out  in  life,  he  worked  in  various  posi- 
tions ;  upon  securing  a  clerkship  in  a  drug  store, 
he  improved  his  spare  time  in  acquiring  a  good 
knowledge  of  the  business.  He  owns  one  of  the 
best  business  blocks  in  Cheney,  in  which  is 
located  the  drug  store  of  Collins  &  Joslyn, — of 


which  firm  E.  W.  Joslyn  is  the  senior  member. 
Mr.  Joslyn  was  lx)rn  in  the  Empire  State,  in 
1852, — his  native  county  being  Herkimer, — 
and  he  is  a  son  of  D.  W.  and  Laura  Jane  Joslyn. 
In  that  county  D.  W.  Joslyn  worked  on  the 
canal,  and  many  of  his  years  were  spent  in 
Oneida  county.  Lillie,  E.  W.  Joslyn's  only 
sister,  died  in  1876. 

E.  W.  Joslyn  was  a  lad  of  but  four  years 
when  his  parents  moved  to  Oneida,  New  York, 
and  there  he  was  reared  and  mentally  instructed 
in  the  public  schools.  On  account  of  his  father's 
death,  the  responsibility  of  the  care  of  the 
family  fell  upon  him.  His  earliest  work  was 
in  a  planing  mill  at  Oneida,  and  he  was  later 
employed  in  a  drug  store,  where  he  secured  his 
first  knowledge  of  the  business  which  he  made 
a  success  in  later  years.  In  the  early  "seven- 
ties" Mr.  Joslyn  moved  to  A\'isconsin,  where 
he  remained  several  years,  and  in  December, 
1877,  he  started  on  a  trip  to  the  state  of  Colo- 
rado, where  he  intended  to  engage  in  the  cattle 
business.  On  his  way  he  stopped  off  at 
Wichita,  Kansas,  to  visit  a  cousin,  and,  as  he 
was  greatly  pleased  with  the  surrounding  coun- 
try, abandoned  his  Colorado  trip  and  located 
about  three  miles  northeast  of  Cheney,  in  Grand 
River  township,  Sedgwick  county.  He  also  pre- 
empted a  claim  in  Kingman  county,  and  as  the 
people  were  beginning  to  settle  in  Sedgwick 
county  very  rapidly,  Mr.  Joslyn  decided  to  open 
a  grocery  store.  He  accordingly  built  a  store 
room  12  by  16  feet  in  dimensions,  the  lumber 
for  which  was  hauled  from  Wichita.  His  sup- 
ply of  groceries  being  of  the  best,  he  had  no 
trouble  of  disposing  of  his  stock,  and  further- 


274 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


more  it  proved  to  be  quite  a  convenience  to  the 
surrounding  farmers.  In  1880,  the  village  of 
Marshall  sprang  into  existence,  and  Mr.  Josiyn 
at  once  started  a  drug  store,  which  was  the 
first  one  in  tiiat  place.  While  conducting  the 
store,  he  was  appointed  postmaster  of  the  vil- 
lage, and  soon  succeeded  in  making  it  a  money 
order  office. 

In  1882  the  village  of  Clieney  was  started, 
and  Mr.  Josiyn  mo\ed  his  store  and  building 
from  Marshall  to  Cheney,  this  being  the  third 
building  moved  to  the  new  village.  Mr.  H. 
W'itten  was  first  and  Mr.  Jones  was  second  in 
the  matter  of  moving  their  buildings  to  Che- 
ney,— as  the  other  village  had  been  practically 
abandoned.  Mr.  Josiyn  then  became  the  first 
postmaster  of  Cheney,  the  office  being  in  the 
rear  of  his  drug  store.  He  occupied  that  build- 
ing for  three  years,  after  which  he  sold  it,  and 
then  rented  a  frame  building  which  stood  on 
the  site  of  his  present  store.  In  1898,  his  hand- 
some brick  block,  50  by  100  feet  in  extent,  was 
completed,  and  made  ready  for  occupancy  in 
the  fall  of  that  j-ear.  Half  of  it  is  used  for 
the  drug  store  operated  under  the  firm  name  of 
Collins  &  Josiyn,  and  the  other  half  is  used 
for  a  dry  goods  store.  Besides  this  building, 
which  is  the  largest  in  the  town,  Mr.  Josiyn 
has  erected  a  fine  residence  in  the  northwestern 
part  of  the  village.  The  present  partnership 
with  Henry  Collins  was  established  in  1887. 

Mr.  Collins  was  born  in  Utica,  New  York, 
in  1850,  and  is  a  son  of  W.  C.  and  Almira 
(Cramer)  Collins,  who  had  three  children.  His 
father  was  a  farmer.  Henry  Collins  spent  the 
first  ten  vears  of  his  life  on  his  father's  farm 


and  then  entered  the  public  schools  at  Clinton. 
New  York.  He  was  graduated  in  1874,  in  the 
regular  course  of  Hamilton  College,  and  in 
that  institution  completed  the  post-graduate 
course  in  medicine,  law,  engineering  and  phar- 
macy, in  1877.  During  his  last  few  years 
at  that  college  he  acted  as  librarian,  and 
his  first  work  after  leaving  school  was  as 
teacher  in  the  state  normal  university  of 
Wilmington,  Delaware.  He  commenced  teach- 
ing there  in  the  fall  of  1877  and  continued 
several  years,  and  from  there  went  to  Southern 
Ohio,  where  he  taught  until  1882  in  Gallia 
Academy.  Returning  to  his  native  state  in 
1882,  he  secured  a  position  as  teacher  in  Bryant 
&  Stratton's  Business  College  at  Utica,  and 
continued  there  until  he  entered  into  partner- 
ship with  his  cousin,  Mr.  Josiyn.  Mr.  Collins 
first  married  Ida  M.  Crosley,  who  died  in  1898, 
and  recently  he  wedded  Miss  Armintrout,  of 
this  county.  In  politics,  he  is  a  Republican, 
while  in  religious  views  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Reformed  church. 

In  the  fall  of  1880,  Mr.  Josiyn  returned  to 
Wisconsin  and  was  united  in  the  bonds  of 
matrimony  with  Delia  King.  To  this  happy 
union  one  son  has  been  born, — F.  K, — who  is 
a  promising  young  man  of  sixteen  years,  now 
attending  Fairmount  College  at  Wichita,  and 
who  is  entertaining  some  thoughts  of  preparing 
for  the  medical  profession.  Politically,  Mr. 
Josiyn  has  always  been  a  strong  advocate  of  the 
principles  of  the  Republican  party,  and  he  has 
ably  served  his  village  and  township  in  various 
official  capacities.  He  has  been  a  member  of 
the  school  and  town  board,  and  is  now  city 


//       NEW  YORK 
l/pUBLIC  LIRRAi^Y  ' 

,  Astor 


HON.  THOMAS  C.  WILSON. 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


277 


treasurer.  He  belongs  to  the  following  fraterni- 
ties in  which  he  is  an  active  and  prominent 
member:  M.  W.  of  A.,  of  which  he  is  clerk; 
I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  Cheney,  of  which  he  is  treas- 
urer; and  the  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Cheney.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Reformed  church,  of  Che- 
ney, which  was  organized  about  1885,  and  over 
which  Rev.  J.  R.  Lewis  presides. 


"ON.  THOMAS  C.  WILSON,  a  prom- 
inent attorney-at-law  of  Wichita,  Kan- 
sas, and  recently  elected  probate 
judge  of  Sedgwick  county,  a  portrait  of  whom 
is  shown  liercwith,  stands  in  the  front  ranks  in 
the  legal  profession  of  this  county.  A  young 
man,  just  from  college,  he  came  to  Wichita  with 
but  a  single  acquaintance,  and  in  a  short  time 
was  established  with  a  well-paying  clientage, 
which  has  ever  been  on  the  increase. 

Mr.  Wilson  was  born  in  i860,  and  is  a  son  of 
Rev.  T.  S.  and  Christiana  (McCombs)  Wilson, 
his  father  being  a  minister  of  the  M.  E.  church. 
His  primary  education  was  received  at  the  vari- 
ous public  schools  on  his  father's  circuit,  the 
changes  being  very  frequent.  He  took  a  pre- 
paratory college  course  at  Pennington  Semi- 
nary in  New  Jersey,  graduating  in  the  class  of 
1879,  'I'l'^l  ^^''is  the  valedictorian.  He  next  en- 
tered Wesleyan  University  at  Middletown,  Con- 
necticut, and  graduated  in  1S83,  taking  second 
honors.  Being  one  of  the  first  five  i^f  the  class, 
he  was  elected  honorary  member  of  the  Phi  Beta 
Kappa  fraternity,  as  is  the  custom  each  year. 
He  then  entered  the  law  department  of  the  Lhii- 


versity  of  Pennsylvania  at  Philadelphia,  Penn- 
sylvania, from  which  he  was  graduated  in  June, 
1 886,  and  was  at  once  atlmitted  to  the  bar,  be- 
ing granted  the  Meredith  prize,  t)ffered  by  Gov- 
ernor Meredith.  He  possessed  an  essentially 
legal  mind  and  grappled  with  the  intricate  web 
of  legal  principles  bv  instinct.  He  immediately 
located  in  Wichita,  Kansas,  where  he  was  ac- 
(|uaiute(l  with  but  om:  ])crson,  a  former  college 
friend,  (jeorge  W.  Clement,  Jr.,  son  of  ex 
Mayor  Clement.  He  formed  a  partnership  with 
George  W.  Clement,  Jr.,  who  died  in  1888  at 
the  time  of  the  clima.x  of  the  boom.  The  first 
office  of  Mr.  Wilson  was  at  No.  250  North 
Main  street,  .\side  from  two  years  in  partner- 
ship with  .\ttorney  Brubacher,  he  has  since 
practiced  alone,  ha\ing  a  large  general  law 
practice,  lie  has  taken  an  active  interest  in 
{xilitics,  and  has  done  considerable  campaign- 
ing in  the  interests  of  the  Republican  party.  He 
was  city  attorney  of  Wichita  from  i8go  to 
1892.  He  was  nominated  in  1900,  by  acclama- 
tion, for  probate  judge  of  Sedgwick  county,  and 
was  elected  by  a  handsome  majority,  being  the 
only  man  on  the  Republican  ticket  elected.  He 
has  a  fine  residence  property  at  No.  1 502  Park 
place,  Wichita. 

Mr.  Wilson  was  the  second  of  seven  children, 
as  follows :  George,  who  is  in  the  insurance 
business  in  Philadelphia ;  Thomas  C. ;  John, 
who  is  in  the  meat  business  in  Philadelphia; 
Charles,  a  graduate  of  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania  and  Jefferson  Medical  Col- 
lege, who  is  a  prominent  physician  of 
Vineland,  New  Jersey;  Walter,  who  is 
in     the     life     insurance     business     at     Vine- 


278 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


laiul.  Xeu  jersey:  Laura,  wife  of  Dr.  H.  A. 
Stout,  of  Wiuoua.  Xew  Jer.sey  ;  and  Sarali.  wife 
of  George  A.  Austin,  of  Tuckertow  n.  Xew  Jer- 
sev.  Our  subject  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Julia  11.  Clement,  a  dauijlitcr  of  ex-Mayor 
George  W.  Clement,  of  Wicliiia,  and  ihey  liave 
two  children:  Julia  C.  and  Clement.  Frater- 
nally, he  is  a  Mason,  and  a  member  of  the  Royal 
.\rcanum.  Fraternal  Aid  Association.  I.  O.  O. 
F.  and  Knights  of  Pythias,  of  which  he  was  re- 
cently elected  chancellor  commander,  although 
at  the  time  he  had  been  a  member  but  six 
months. 


I'.XjAMIX  L.  FATOX,  proprietor  of 
the  Carey  Hotel,  the  finest  in  the  city 
of  Wicliita.  Kansas,  has  Ik^cu  in  the 
hotel  business  there  for  several  years,  and  has 
established  an  enviable  reputation.  The  main 
])atronage  of  this  magnificent  hostelry  is  tran- 
sient, and  the  house  is  well  known  to  the 
traveling  pul)lic.  Mr.  Eaton  had  many  years 
of  experience  in  this  line  of  business  before 
locatmg  in  Wichita,  and,  in  addition  to  setting 
an  elaborate  table,  he  has  supplied  every  con- 
venience for  the  comfort  of  his  guests.  He  is 
a  native  of  Indiana,  and  is  a  son  of  William 
T.  and  Mary  {  Freeman)  Eaton. 

\\  illiam  T.  h'.aton  is  engaged  in  the  mercan- 
tile and  banking  business.  He  and  his  wife  arc 
parents  of  the  following  children :  Mollie,  who 
lives  at  home;  Ezra,  who  early  followed  mer- 
chandising, but  is  now  in  the  life  insurance  busi- 
ness at  Indianapolis;  Mrs.  Maple,  of  Indiana; 
and  Benjamin  L. 


Benjamin  L.  Eaton  received  his  early  mental 
training  in  the  public  schools,  after  which  he 
com])leted  his  education  at  college  in  Green 
Castle,  Indiana.  He  then  entered  the  employ 
of  Robertson  &  Perry,  wholesale  grocers  at 
Indianapolis,  Indiana,  with  whom  he  remained 
for  two  years.  He  then  worked  in  his  father's 
mercantile  establishment,  for  two  years,  and 
in  1884  made  a  visit  to  his  sister  in  Kansas. 
He  was  so  much  pleased  with  the  country 
that  he  took  a  claim  which  he  afterward  proved 
up,  while  working  for  Joseph  Smith,  and  re- 
sided on  the  ])lace  one  year.  He  then  returned 
home  where  he  remained  six  weeks.  At  the 
end  of  that  time  he  came  back  to  Kansas  and 
opened  the  first  hotel,  the  Merchants',  at  Cold- 
water.  This  he  conducted  for  three  years. 
when  it  was  burned  to  the  ground,  and  he  spent 
one  year  in  looking  for  an  o])portunity  for 
business  or  a  good  chance  for  speculation.  At 
the  end  of  that  period  he  returned  and  opened 
the  first  hotel  at  Hennessey.  Oklahoma,  which 
he  sold  out  after  conducting  it  for  one  year. 
He  next  went  to  Hutchinson,  Kansas,  where 
he  ran  the  Brunswick  Hotel  for  two  years, 
and  then  moved  to  Wichita,  Kansas.  There 
he  opened  and  ran  the  Metropole  Hotel  for 
nine  months. — its  location  being  on  South  Main 
street.  He  closed  this  out  and  took  the  Man- 
hattan Hotel,  and  one  year  later,  in  1895, 
bought  the  Carey  Hotel,  which  is  valued  at 
$100,000.  The  rates  are  $2  and  $3  per  day, 
and  everything  is  first  class.  Mr.  Eaton  has 
met  with  great  success  as  proprietor  of  this 
establishment,  and  has  a  very  heavy  transient 
trade.     He  is  also  largely  interested  financially 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


279 


in   the   Manhattan    Hotel,   and   is   one   of  the 
directors  of  the  Colwich  State  Bank. 

Mr.  Eaton  was  united  in  marriage  w  ith  (Jeor- 
g^ia  Edelen,  of  Danville,  Kentucky,  and  they 
ha\e  three  children  :  Edith  and  Jeninie.  who  are 
at  school:  and  Monnie.  Fraternally,  he  is  a 
member  of  Albert  Pike  Lodge,  No.  303,  A.  F. 
&  A.  M..  of  Wichita,  and  the  Scottish  Rites 
degree:  he  is  also  a  member  of  Isis  Temple, 
A,  .A.  O.  N,  M.  S.  He  belongs  to  the  Knights 
of  Pythias,  in  which  he  has  passed  all  the 
chairs,  and  to  the  B.  P.  O.  E.,  of  which  he  is 
treasurer. 


/g^^-EORGE  PLUMB,  a  prosperous  citi- 
I  ^T  zen  of  Sedgwick  county,  Kansas,  has 
been  a  resident  of  Waco  township,  in 
this  county,  since  the  winter  of  1873,  ''"'l 
having  acf[uired  a  handsome  fortune  after  manv 
years  of  hard  and  constant  laljor,  he  retired 
aljout  six  years  ago.  He  was  born  in  Saxony, 
Germany,  February  28,  1833,  '""'  when  a  lad 
of  tweh-e  years,  he  came  to  the  United  States, 
where  he  first  located  in  Armstrong  count}". 
Pennsylvania,  and  resided  at  different  places 
in  that  state  until  January  14,  1861.  Upon  that 
date  he  went  to  La  Fayette.  Indiana,  where  he 
enlisted  in  Company  H,  15th  Reg.  Ind.  Wil. 
Inf.,  under  Captain  Miller.  November  27, 
1863.  he  was  wounded  at  Mission  Ridge,  re- 
cei\ing  a  wound  in  the  left  hip,  and  after  spend- 
ing many  months  in  the  hospital,  he  was  en- 
abled to  rejoin  his  company.  He  was  after- 
ward shot,  at  Stony  River,  but  the  injury  was 
only  a  scalp  wound  in  the  head.     In  1865,  he 


was  mustered  out  at  La  Fayette,  Indiana.  After 
his  marriage  there,  he  moved  west,  to  Kansas, 
locating  in  Repul)lic  county,  where  he  home- 
steaded  a  farm  near  Mill  Creek,  on  which  he 
lived  for  six  years.  He  then  traded  that  prop- 
erty for  his  present  farm,  which  consists  of  140 
acres  in  the  southwest  (|uarter  of  section  35. 
Mr.  Plumb  devoted  the  most  of  his  time  to  the 
raising  of  grain  and  small  fruit,  and  in  all  the 
years  of  his  tilling  the  soil,  his  efforts  have  been 
met  with  the  best  of  success.  He  now  rents  his 
farm  and  is  enjoying  the  fruits  of  his  early  toil. 
Mr.  Plumli  was  joined  in  marriage  with  Sara 
Evans,  of  La  Fayette,  Indiana.  He  is  a  mem- 
l)er  of  the  G.  A.  R..  Post  No.  262.  Mr.  Plumb 
is  a  highly  respected  citizen  of  Sedgwick 
county,  and  is  worthy  of  the  esteem  in  which 
he  is  held  by  his  many  acquaintances. 


L.  ARNETT  is  chief  clerk  of  the 
district  court  of  Sedgwick  county, 
Kansas,  and  has  efficiently  served  in 
that  capacity  since  January,  1897,  He  was 
born  in  Macoupin  county,  Illinois,  January  24, 
1850. 

Mr.  Arnett  is  a  son  of  Thomas  Arnett,  a 
native  of  North  Carolina,  who  was  reared  to 
agricultural  pursuits,  in  which  he  continued 
during  his  life.  He  married  Elizabeth  Reeder, 
and  soon  afterward  they  removed  to  Macoupin 
county,  Illinois,  where  lie  resided  until  his 
death  at  the  age  of  seventy  years.  His  wife 
died  at  the  age  of  fifty-nine  years.  They  were 
parents  of  seven  sons  and  five  daughters. 


280 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


P.  L.  Arnctt  was  the  youngest  of  the  seven 
sons,  lie  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  liis  native  county,  and  in  Blackburn 
University.  He  liegan  teacliing  school  in  ib!73, 
and  in  connection  witli  farming.  lias  followed 
that  jirofession,  more  or  less,  ever  since.  He 
I'.iini-  til  tlie  state  of  Kansas  in  1886.  and  was 
elected  clerk  of  the  district  court  in  1896.  He 
ga\c  universal  satisfaction,  and  was  reelected 
to  that  oftice  in  1898.  He  is  a  man  who  stands 
high  among  the  citizens  of  Wichita,  where  he 
lias  many  friends. 

'Mr.  Ariiett  was  nniteil  in  marriage  with 
Cynthia  Langley,  who  died  in  1898,  leaving 
si.x  children,  as  follows :  Le  Roy ;  Katie ;  Grace ; 
Herbert;  Victor;  and  May.  Fraternally,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  member  of  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias. 


M 


K.  J.  M.  ^HNICK,  one  of  the  most 
successful  practicing  physicians  of 
Wichita.  Kansas,  is  ex-grand  medi- 
cal examiner  of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen.  He  was  born  in  Union  City,  Adams 
county,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  Rev.  Samuel 
Minick,  a  native  of  Lancaster  county,  Penn- 
sylvania. 

Dr.  J.  M-  Minick  received  his  primarv  edu- 
cation in  the  common  schools  of  his  native 
county,  and  supplemented  it  with  a  course  of 
study  at  Clait  College,  in  Jay  county.  Indiana. 
He  first  studied  medicine  under  a  preceptor,  at 
Union  City,  and  when  the  Civil  War  broke  out 


enlisted,  in  September,  1861,  from  Wells 
county,  Intliana,  in  Company  A,  47th  Reg..  Tml. 
Vol.  Inf.  He  was  appointed  sergeant,  anil 
served  as  such  throughout  the  war.  His  regi- 
ment was  taken  into  ilic  .\rmv  of  the  Teimes- 
see,  and  later  iiito  the  Department  of  the  (iulf. 
He  was  wounded  in  the  hi]i  at  Champion  1  lills. 
Mississippi,  and  was  incapacitated  for  nearly 
a  year.  He  was  discharged  Novemljer  17, 
1865,  and  returned  to  his  native  town,  where 
he  began  the  practice  of  medicine.  After  sev- 
eral years'  practice,  he  decided  to  take  a  course 
of  lectures  in  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Medi- 
cine and  Surgery,  from  which  he  was  graduated 
with  the  class  of  1878.  He  then  returned  to  his 
practice  and  followed  the  theory  of  the  old 
school  until  1889.  when  he  pursued  a  course 
of  study  in  the  Homeopathic  Medical  College 
at  St.  Louis.  Missouri,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  1890.  Dr.  Minick  removed  to 
Wichita.  Kansas,  in  1888,  and  has  since  made 
his  home  there.  He  has  a  very  extensive  prac- 
tice throughout  that  section  of  the  county,  and 
is  everywhere  held  in  the  highest  esteem.  He 
is  not  only  a  good  i)ractitioner.  but  a  good 
business  man,  and  has  been  very  successful. 

Dr.  Minick  was  united  in  wedlock  with  Eliza- 
beth C.  Householder,  and  they  are  the  parents 
of  two  children,  namely:  W.  W.  and' Jessie  B. 
(Mathews).  W.  \\'.  graduated  from  the 
Homeopathic  Medical  College  at  St.  Louis, 
with  the  class  of  1892,  and  has  since  been 
engaged  in  ])ractice  in  Wichita,  making  a  spe- 
cialty of  surgery,  in  which  line  he  ranks  high 
among  the  best  practitioners  of  the  state.  He 
has  been  a  member  of  the   Kansas  National 


,,        NEW  YCK      \\ 
'/ PUBLIC  LiR^-^opv 


HON.  \V.  E.  STANLEY. 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


283 


Guards  for  the  past  nine  years,  and  is  now- 
major  of  tlie  Second  Regiment.  He  is  an 
exceedingly  popular  young  man.  Dr.  J.  M. 
Minick  is  a  Mason,  being  a  meiuher  of  the  blue 
lodge,  chapter,  and  consistory ;  he  also  belongs 
to  the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star,  Fraternal  Aitl 
Association,  and  the  Degree  of  Honor.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen,  and  as  grand  medical  examiner  of 
that  order  in  1888  and  1899  achieved  a  national 
reputation. 


"ON.  W.  E.  STANLEY,  governor  of 
the  state  of  Kansas,  whose  portrait  ap- 
pears herewith,  is  a  member  of  the 
law  firm  of  Stanley,  Vermillion  &  Evans  of 
Wichita,  Sedgwick  cnunty,  jirobably  the  strong- 
est legal  combination  in  the  state.  Governor 
Stanley,  although  holding  the  highest  office 
within  the  gift  of  the  people  of  the  state,  is  not 
a  politician  in  any  sense  of  the  word.  It  was 
not  he  who  sought  the  office,  but  the  office  that 
sought  him.  Born  a  leader,  not  a  follower,  a 
man  of  profound  attainments  and  great  execu- 
tive ability,  he  was  chosen  by  his  party  as  one 
admirably  qualified  to  direct  the  affairs  of  state, 
but  it  was  only  after  the  most  earnest  solicita- 
tion of  his  many  friends  that  he  agreed  to  ac- 
cept the  nomination.  He  was  elected  in  1898, 
and  the  wisdom  of  the  choice  was  apparent  from 
the  efficient  manner  in  which  he  assumed  and 
discharged  the  duties  of  the  office.  So  ably  did 
he  serve,  that  in  1900  he  again  became  the 
unanimous  choice  of  his  party  to  liead  the  state 
ticket,  and  was  again  elected. 


W.  E.  Stanley  was  born  in  Dan\ille,  Ohio, 
in  1844,  and  is  a  son  of  Almon  F.  and  Angelina 
(Sapp)  Stanley.  He  received  his  primary  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  of  Hardin  county, 
Ohio,  where  his  parents  had  moved  when  he 
was  a  small  bov.  He  later  took  a  two  years' 
course  of  study  in  the  University  of  Delaware, 
after  which  he  read  law  in  the  office  of  Conover 
&  Creighead  at  Dayton,  Ohio,  then  with  Bain 
&  King  of  Kenton,  Ohio.  He  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  1S69,  and  immediately  thereafter 
opened  an  office  in  Kenton,  where  he  practiced 
successfully  for  one  year.  He  moved  to  Jeffer- 
son county,  Kansas,  in  1870,  and  was  in  that 
year  elected  county  attorney.  In  September, 
1872,  he  located  in  Wichita,  where  he  has  since 
resided  and  practiced  law.  In  1872  he  was 
elected  county  attorney,  and  was  reelected  in 
1874  and  1876,  and  was  elected  to  the  state 
legislature  in  1878.  He  was  elected  to  the 
governorship  in  1898,  and  was  chosen  to  suc- 
ceed himself  in  November,  1900.  Since  locat- 
ing in  Wichita,  lie  has  been  a  member  of  the 
following  law  firms:  Stanley  &  Kirkpatrick; 
Baldwin  &  Stanley ;  Stanley  &  Hatton :  Sluss, 
Stanley  &  Hatton,  the  former  resigning  to  be- 
come judge  of  the  district  court;  Stanley  & 
Wall,  the  latter  leaving  the  firm  to  become  a 
district  court  judge;  Sluss  &  Stanley, 
Mr.  Sluss  again  resigning  to  I)econie  a 
judge  of  the  federal  court;  Stanley  & 
Hume;  and  the  present  firm  of  Stanley 
Vermillion  &•  Evans.  Mr.  Stanley  pos- 
sesses one  of  the  finest  libraries  in  the  state 
of  Kansas,  and  the  elegantly  equipped  offices 
of  the  firm  are  located  at  No.    1 17-119  East 


284 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


Douglas  avenue.  Tlieir  practice  is  a  very  ex- 
tensive one.  cacli  III  lilt.'  mcniljers  of  the  linn 
being  a  man  of  power  ami  inlluence. 

In  1876,  (ioxernor  Stanley  was  united  in 
marriage  with  lunnia  I..  Hills  of  Wichita.  Kan- 
sas, and  thev  lia\c  lieinnu'  llic  parents  of  four 
children,  three  sons  .ind  nne  daughter,  as  fol- 
lows: Ciiarlcs  A.,  whu  died  in  infancy;  ll.arry 
W'..  who  is  attending  school  at  Baker  Univer- 
sity, in  Baldwin,  Kansas:  Harriet,  a  member  of 
the  junior  class  of  the  Wichita  High  School; 
and  W.  E.  Stanley.  Jr.,  who  is  attending  school 
in  Wichita.  Religiously,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  and  his  family  arc  memlx^rs  of  the 
Methodist  Ei)iscopal  church,  and  are  active  in 
church  work.  He  is  a  man  of  very  high  char- 
acter, and  possesses  the  confidence  and  good 
will  of  the  ])eople  to  a  marked  degree.  As  evi- 
dence of  this  high  regard,  before  leaving 
\\  iciiita  to  .-issunu'  the  duties  of  the  office  of 
governor,  he  was  presented  with  a  set  of  resolu- 
tions, a  pastelle  portrait  of  himself,  and  a  statue 
in  bronze  of  Lincoln,  which  is  nearly  six  feet 
iiigli.  Several  years  ago,  he  was  presented  with 
a  large  album,  by  the  young  men  of  Wichita. 
containing  portraits  of  the  donors,  nianv  of 
whom  are  now  ])rMmiuent  in  business  and  pro- 
fessiiMial  circles. 


' I  fi  ^  J-  '  d.lX'l'.R  may  be  classed  among 
Pi  the  must  ])rMmiuent  and  enterprising 
farmers  of  Wacn  tnwiiship,  Sedgwick 
county,  Kansas,  where  he  lias  been  a  resident 
since  1886,  and  tiie  esteem  and  good  will  in 
wiiicii  he  is  held  by  his  fellow  citizens  is  worth- 


ily bestowed.  He  was  born  in  ( )n(iudaga 
CDuntv,  New  ^'clrk.  in  November,  1858,  and  is 
a  son  I  if  jdlm  and  Clara  (Clements)  C^li\er, 
both  of  whom  were  nati\cs  of  lMigl;iud.  His 
parents  spent  the  greater  ])art  of  their  li\es  in 
New  \'iirk  .St;ne.  whci'c  Jnhu  carried  im  farm- 
ing, and  both  clii'd  in  ()niindaga  cnunly.  .Mr. 
()li\er  h;id  lieen  twice  m.arried,  his  lirsl  uninu 
having  been  with  Mary  (jregory,  who  died  lea\- 
ing  two  children,  Eliza  and  Mary.  His  second 
marriage  was  with  Clara  Clements,  and  to  this 
union  five  children  were  l)orn,  named  as  fol- 
lows: Emma  ;  James,  a  farmer  and  hunberman 
in  Michigan;  Hugh,  a  farmer  on  the  old  home- 
stead: E.  J.,  and  Ellen. 

E.  J.  Oliver  lived  at  home  until  he  was 
twenty-two  years  of  age,  and  (.me  nf  the  lirst 
occupations  he  followed  was  the  cattle  business. 
He  li\'ed  in  Wabaiiiisee  county,  Kansas,  four 
years,  during  which  time  he  raised  considerable 
stock  ;md  carried  nn  farming.  In  188C),  he 
bought  the  Snyder  farm,  which  consists  of  160 
acres  and  is  located  on  the  southwest  iialf  of 
section  28,  township  1.  range  i,  east.  He  also 
bought  80  acres,  known  as  the  Eldridge  farm. 
Since  taking  possession  of  this  ])lacc.  he  has 
m;ide  many  impn>\ements  upon  it:  in  fact,  its 
present  high  state  of  cultivation  is  all  the  work 
of  Mr.  Oliver,  as  at  the  time  of  its  purchase 
b}'  him,  it  had  no  improvements  whatever.  Be- 
sides general  farming,  Mr.  Oliver  de\'otes  much 
time  to  the  raising  of  small  fruit  and  t^  the 
supervisinu  nf  his  line  orchard,  which  contains 
over  700  apple  trees  and  many  other  kinds  of 
fruit.  He  is  a  liard  worker  and  is  worthy  of 
tlie  success  with  w'liich  he  is  meeting. 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


285 


The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  joined  in  mar- 
riage with  Sadie  JuHaii,  of  Wabaunsee  county, 
Kansas,  and  their  home  has  been  blessed  by 
the  following  children :  one  who  died  in  in- 
fancy; Clara;  Nellie;  Ernest;  Jay;  and  Hugh. 
In  political  belief,  Mr.  Oliver  is  a  Democrat. 


T.  WATSON,  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
Sedgwick  county,  Kansas,  and  a  veteran 
of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  owns  the 
southeast  quarter  of  section  17,  township  29, 
range  i,  east,  and  was  born  in  Vigo  county, 
Indiana,  near  Terre  Haute,  in  1836,  being  a 
son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Davis)  Watson, 
natives  of  Kentucky.  Of  their  five  children, 
but  two  are  now  living:  J.  T.  and  F.  M.,  who 
resides  three  miles  south  of  the  home  of  the 
former.  The  father  died  in  1848,  and  the 
mother  in  1858,  and  both  were  very  worthy 
peoj>le. 

J.  T.  Watson  was  reared  to  manhood  in  In- 
diana, and  worked  Ijy  the  month  for  a  short 
time  after  he  attained  his  majority.  Then,  in 
[859,  he  was  seized  with  the  gold  fever  and 
made  his  way  to  Pike's  Peak,  remaining  one 
summer.  Upon  his  return,  Mr.  Watson  settled 
in  Douglas  county,  Illinciis,  where  he  ]iurchase(l 
land  and  farmed  for  one  year.  At  this  time 
the  war  broke  out,  and  he  enlisted  in  Company 
D,  28th  Reg.  111.  Vol.  Inf.,  serving  gallantly 
for  one  year.  Having  been  wounded  and  hon- 
orably discharged,  he  returned  home,  sold  his 
farm  and  embarked  in  the  mercantile  business 
in  Bourbon,  Illinois,  where  he  remained  until 


he  located  in  Kansas,  the  removal  to  the  West 
being  necessitated  by  the  condition  of  his 
health. 

Upon  arriving  in  Kansas,  in  1870,  Mr.  Wat- 
son preempted  the  southeast  cjuarter  of  section 
32,  township  28,  range  i,  east,  in  Waco  town- 
ship, now  owned  by  Benjamin  French.  After 
proving  up  this  tract  and  improving  it,  he  sold 
the  farm,  moved  to  the  present  site  of  Waco 
and  took  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  16, 
township  29,  range  i,  east, — school  land, — 
where  he  resided  until  1882.  He  built  the  first 
store  in  Waco,  and  when  the  postoffice  was 
established  there,  he  was  the  first  postmaster. 
This  point  had  been  for  some  time  a  relay 
station  on  the  stage  line  from  Wichita  soutli, 
before  the  time  of  railroads,  and  he  did  a  very 
good  business.  In  1882,  Mr.  Watson  disposed 
of  his  business,  went  to  Greenwood  county, 
Kansas,  purchased  a  farm  and  resided  there 
two  years,  at  which  time,  in  1884,  he  bought 
liis  present  property,  paying  $40  an  acre  for  it. 
It  was  already  improved,  but  Mr.  Wat.son  has 
continued  cuhivating  it  and  adding  to  the  house 


)Uth 


lings,  besides  erecting  a  new  barn. 


in  1896,  which  is  commodious  and  affords  am- 
ple room  for  his  horses  and  cattle.  He  raises 
stock  and  grain,  and  has  a  fine  six-acre  orchard 
of  \'arious  kinds  of  fruit  trees,  which  are  bear- 
ing exceedingly  well.  j\bout  the  house,  Mr. 
Watson  set  out,  in  1885,  a  grove  of  cottonwood 
trees,  some  of  which  are  very  large ;  the  well 
trimmed  hedge  surrounding  the  farm  is  twenty- 
five  years  old. 

After  returning  from  the  war,  Mr.  Watson 
married  Mary  A.  Nelson,  of  Vigo  county.  In- 


286 


BIOGRAl'HICAL  RECORIJ 


diana,  and  their  union  resulted  in  four  children, 
as  follows:  Edward,  superintendent  of  a  large 
plantation  in  Southern  Mexico;  Willartl,  de- 
ceased; Louisa,  now  Mrs.  Charles  Mitchell,  of 
Waco;  and  Clarence,  who  is  express  messenger 
for  W'ells  h'argo  &  C\).,  employed  on  a  run 
friini  I'.l  Paso,  Texas,  into  Mexico,  ha\ing 
held  this  position  for  two  years.  Fraternally, 
Mr.  Watson  is  an  active  member  of  Baldwin 
Post,  G.  .\.  R.,  of  Derby,  and  is  also  a  member 
of  the  .\uli-'riiief  Association.  Politically,  he 
has  always  been  a  standi  Republican,  and  has 
ser\ed  as  scliool  director  and  justice  of  the 
l)eace. 

The  record  of  the  Watson  family  is  an  un- 
usual one,  as  the  grandfather  was  a  .soldier  of 
the  Revolution,  the  father,  an  Indian  tighter, 
t-lie  subject  hereof  a  soldier  in  the  War  of  the 
Rebellion,  and  luKvard,  his  son,  a  soldier  in  the 
late  war  with  Spain.  Thus  through  four  gen- 
erations the  same  patriotic  spirit  was  dis- 
played. Mr.  Watson  is  worthy  both  of  his 
martial  ancestors  and  his  gallant  descendant, 
and  is  a  man  of  substance,  highly  esteemed  in 
his  locality,  and  well  deserving  of  the  success 
which  has  attended  his  efforts. 


lOM.AS  P..  WALL,  ex-judge  of  the 
district  court,  is  one  of  the  most  promi- 
nent lawyers  of  Wichita,  having  a  large 
practice  in  Sedgwick  and  adjacent  counties. 
He  was  Ijorn  January  i,  1857,  and  is  a  .son  of 
D.  S.  and  Rosa  A.  (Price)  Wall,  his  native 
place  being  Cumberland  county,  Illinois. 


The  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  his  younger 
days  on  his  father's  farm  (the  latter  being  a 
stockman)  and  attended  the  district  schools. 
I  le  entered  Lee's  Academy,  at  Stockton,  Coles 
county,  Illinois,  fnmi  which  he  was  gradurned 
in  1874,  aged  .seventeen  years.  After  leaving 
the  district  school — to  use  his  own  phraseology 
— he  "took  charge  of  Lee's  Academy  in  the 
capacity  of  janitor,"  which  position  he  held  un- 
til his  graduation.  He  then  began  a  college 
course  at  McKendree  College,  at  Lebanon,  Illi- 
nois, near  the  city  of  St.  Louis,  and  during  the 
first  year  was  interested  in  athletics,  particularly 
in  the  line  of  sawing  wood,  to  satisfy  the  extor- 
tionate demands  of  the  keeper  of  a  boarding 
house.  In  1876,  at  the  end  of  his  college  year, 
he  fninid  eniplnynient  as  a  harvest  hand  near 
Lebanon,  and  also  succeeded  in  inducing  the 
school  district  officers  to  hire  him  to  teach  while 
finishing  the  study  of  law  in  that  department  of 
McKendree  College.  He  took  up  the  study  of 
law,  in  addition  to  the  regular  course,  after  the 
junior  year,  and  completed  the  course  in  1877. 
lie  took  the  examination  before  the  supreme 
court,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Illinois 
before  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age.  He 
taught  school  again  in  the  fall  of  1877  ''"'^l  ^'^''"" 
ter  of  1878,  in  that  way  earning  sufficient 
money  to  pay  all  of  his  debts  and  purchase  an 
emigrant  ticket  to  \\'ichita,  Kansas,  where  he 
arrived  in  the  spring  of  1878.  This  chanced  to 
l)e  a  fortunate  time,  for  although  there  was  a 
strong  bar  in  Wichita,  there  had  been  few  ac- 
cessions to  it  for  some  time.  Good  crops  occa- 
sioned a  heavy  immigration  and  increased  the 
volume  of   business.      In   August,    1878,   the 


JOHN  13.  SIMON. 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


289 


young  attorney  formed  a  partnership  with  Hon. 
W.  E.  Stanley,  now  governor  of  Kansas,  their 
office  being  located  on  Douglas  avenue  until 
1S85.  Upon  the  resignation  of  Judge  Sluss, 
Mr.  Wall  was  appointed  to  fill  that  gentle- 
man's unexpired  term  as  judge  of  the  district 
(then  comprising  Butler,  Sedgwick  and  King- 
man counties).  He  ably  discharg-ed  the  duties 
of  that  office  and  was  elected  to  it  without  oppo- 
sition at  the  next  regular  election.  Upon  retir- 
ing from  the  Ijench  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  Judge  Dale  (now  judge  of  the  district 
court),  which  continued  until  1892.  He  was 
also  in  partnership  witli  C.  11.  Brooks  for  two 
or  three  years,  and  is  now  located  in  fine  quar- 
ters in  the  Wall  Building,  which  is  his  property. 
He  has  an  extensive  practice,  his  time  being  all 
occupied  in  caring  for  his  clientage.  He  is  ac- 
tively identified  with  state  politics,  but  although 
often  importuned  to  do  so  has  constantly  re- 
fused to  he  a  candidate  for  office  of  any  kind. 
He  is  a  man  of  pleasing  personality  and  high 
character,  and  has  a  high  rank  at  the  bar.  1  le 
has  served  as  referee  in  bankruptcy,  and  was  a 
delegate  to  the  Republican  national  convention 
in  1900.  He  has  large  real  estate  holdings  and 
is  extensively  engaged  in  farming  and  stock 
raising.  He  takes  jjarticular  pride  in  high-bred 
stock  and  raises  white-faced  cattle.  He  has 
given  much  attention  to  improving  his  land  and 
has  some  very  valuable  property.  His  residence 
is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  city,  having  been  re- 
constructed in  1898.  It  is  surrounded  by  large 
and  beautiful  grounds.  He  also  possesses  a  very 
fine  library. 

Mr.  Wall  has  two  sons — Berry,  aged  eight- 


een years,  and  Paul  Jean,  aged  fifteen  years — 
both  of  whom  manifest  a  taste  for  law  and  poli- 
tics. 


f^OHN  B.  SIMON,  one  of  the  most  pros- 
perous farmers  of  Union  township,  Sedg- 
wick county,  whose  portrait  is  shown  on 
the  opposite  page,  owns  a  fine  farm  of  160 
acres  in  section  31,  range  2,  west,  and  was  born 
on  November  18,  1853,  in  Spencer  county,  In- 
diana, being  a  son  of  John  and  Catherine 
( Roat)  Simon. 

The  paternal  grandfather  came  to  this  coun- 
try from  German)-,  and  settled  in  Spencer 
countv,  Intliana,  where  his  death  occurred  one 
year  afterward.  John  Simon,  the  father  of  our 
suliject,  was  a  native  of  Germany;  he  came  to 
this  county  in  1848,  with  his  wife  and  two 
children,  settling  in  Spencer  county,  Indiana, 
where  he  purchased  a  fine  farm  of  160  acres  and 
cultivated  the  same  until  his  death,  in  1876,  at 
the  age  of  sixty-eight  years.  His  wife  sur- 
vi\'ed  him  until  February,  1894,  when  she,  too. 
passed  away,  aged  seventy-three  years.  They 
were  the  parents  of  the  following  children : 
Susannah,  deceased;  Henry,  deceased,  who 
married  and  settled  in  Sherman  township;  An- 
nie, who  married  Henry  Landwehr;  Levi,  of 
Garden  Plain  township;  and  John  B. 

The  subject  of  this  writing  was  reared  and 
educated  in  his  native  county,  attending  the 
common  schools  and  working  upon  his  father's 
farm,  and  after  reaching  his  majority  worked 
out  one  year  by  the  month.  Later  he  removed 
to  Kansas,  purchased  a  farm,  which  he  sold 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


later  on  and  Imui^lu  his  proseiU  property  in 
section  31.  To  this  lie  lias  added  until  he  now 
iwssesses  about  900  acres,  which  he  devotes 
princiiiaily  to  the  raising;  of  corn,  oats  and 
wheat.  1  ic  makes  a  specialty  of  fine  hogs  and 
cattle,  .-uid  liiecds  some  So  to  100  head  of  hogs 
an<l  aliont  _^o  head  of  cattle  annually.  His  ex- 
cellent orchard  yields  about  100  barrels  of 
apples  of  first  class  varieties. 

Mr.  Simon  married  Katie  Smarsh,  the  ac- 
complished daughter  of  Vincent  Smarsh,  of 
Sherman  township,  and  seven  children  have 
been  born  to  this  union:  Joseph  \'.,  John  A., 
Mary,  William,  Rosie,  Frank  and  Frances.  In 
religious  matters,  Mr.  Simon  is  a  very  devout 
Catholic,  while  his  ixjlitical  affiliations  are  with 
the  Democratic  party.  Although  not  an  office 
seeker,  he  has  consented  to  serve  as  school  trus- 
tee, his  uprightness  of  life  making  him  a  most 
acceptable  incumbent  of  that  jxisition. 

Having  one  of  the  best  cultivated  farms,  on 
which  are  well  built  structures,  being  a  man  of 
energy  of  character,  strictly  honorable  in  all 
his  dealings,  jjleasant  in  manner,  it  is  little  won- 
der that  Mr.  Simon  occupies  the  position  that 
he  does  in  the  estimation  of  his  neighbors,  or 
that  he  should  be  regarded  as  one  of  the  solid 
men  of  Union  township. 


-TrjT^RANK  TYRRELL,  one  of  the  pros- 
R     perous  farmers  of  Salem  township,  Sedg- 
wick   county,    Kansas,    resides    on    the 
southwest  quarter  of  section  21,  township  29, 
range  i,  east,  in  this  county,  and  is  the  oldest 


!i\ing  resident  in  the  \icinity.  He  was  born 
in  Wyoming  county.  New  York,  on  .\ugust  13, 
1854,  and  is  the  only  son  of  Charles  M.  and 
Elizabeth  (I'erris)  Tyrrell,  now  living, — his 
two  brothers  having  died  in  infancy. 

When  I'lank  Tyrrell  was  seven  years  old, 
the  family  removed  to  Minneapolis,  where  his 
mother  died  in  1861.  After  eight  years  spent 
in  Minneapolis,  Fr.'uik  returned  to  New  York, 
where  he  attended  Middlebury  Academy,  and 
his  father  removed  to  Marshall  county,  Illinois. 
Nearly  all  of  the  relatives  of  the  family  now 
reside  in  Chicago.  In  February,  1871,  Frank 
joined  his  father  and  they  went  on  a  trip 
through  Arkansas,  Texas  and  other  western 
states,  finally  locating  on  the  Osage  Reserva- 
tion in  the  county  where  he  now  lives.  Very 
few  claims  had  been  taken  up  along  Cowskin 
Creek,  and  as  Charles  M.  Tyrrell  had  little 
difficulty  in  securing,  from  the  party  who  had 
originally  entered  it,  the  land  that  now  forms 
a  ])art  of  his  son's  fine  farm.  The  only  neigh- 
bor, originally,  was  ^Arthur  Blue,  who  was 
located  one  and  a  half  miles  distant,  on  the 
present  site  of  Waco.  The  new  home  of  the 
Tyrrells  was  unbroken  prairie  land,  with  no 
trees  except  those  lining  the  creek.  Over  the 
bleak  and  rolling  e.xpanse  of  prairie  roved  herds 
of  bufi'alo  and  other  wild  animals,  and  a  more 
lonely  ])lace  could  scarcely  be  imagined.  Some 
years  later  they  ]nirchased  40  acres  directly 
south,  through  which  Cowskin  Creek  flows,  the 
edges  of  which  are  lined  with  considerable 
timber. 

Charles  M.  Tyrrell,  or  Judge  Tyrrell  as  he 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


291 


was  usually  called,  on  account  of  his  luu-ing 
served  as  a  justice  of  the  peace  in  New  York, 
and  also  as  the  first  official  of  that  description 
in  Salem  township,  was  a  man  who  was  only 
satisfied  with  the  best  condition  in  his  sur- 
roundings, and  consefjuently  it  was  nut  many 
weeks  before  the  new  home  began  to  assume 
signs  of  comfort  and  system.  The  first  work 
was  to  get  a  roof  to  cover  them,  and  they  built 
a  log  house,  in  which  they  resided  for  fifteen 
years, — hauling  the  logs  from  the  Arkansas 
River.  In  1885,  a  frame  house  was  substi- 
tuted for  the  log  cabin,  and  in  i8c;2.  the  present 
spacious  residence  was  erected,  which  is  the 
largest  farm  house  in  the  county.  The  main  part 
measures  24  by  26  feet, — with  an  addition,  18 
by  22  feet, — both  parts  being  of  two  stories ;  the 
entire  structure  is  supplied  with  modern  con- 
veniences. The  first  liarn  was  composed  of  cot- 
tonwood  poles  covered  with  hay,  but  this  was 
replaced,  in  1881  with  a  substantial  one  of 
frame,  24  by  26  feet, which  is  still  standing.  Ten 
years  later,  a  capacious  barn,  40  feet  square, was 
built,  with  accommodations  for  14  horses  and 
25  tons  of  hay,  and  also  room  for  vehicles,  im- 
plements, etc.  In  1894  occurred  the  death  of 
Charles  M.  Tyrrell,  whose  loss  is  deeply 
mourned,  and  his  projierty  was  inherited  by  his 
son. 

The  entire  farm  is  fenced  with  a  well 
trimmed  osage  hedge,  with  wires  where\'er  nec- 
essary, making  the  whole  property  hog-tight. 
Not  a  few  trees  have  been  set  out ;  but  many  of 
the  largest  and  stateliest  cottonwoods  are  of 
indigenous  growth.  The  fine  fruit  orchard  of 
four  acres,  the  location  of  which  is  convenient 


to  the  house,  is  well  stocked  with  Ben  Davis, 
Winesap  and  other  favorite  varieties  of  apples, 
and  with  peaches  and  other  fruits. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  married  at 
Wellington,  Kansas,  to  Lydia  Mann,  the 
charming  daughter  of  Syh-ester  Mann,  who 
located  in  Kansas  in  the  fall  of  1870.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Tyrrell  have  three  children — Charles  M., 
Jr.,  twenty-one  years  old,  who  is  in  a  bank  at 
Kingfisher,  Oklahoma ;  Freddie,  aged  eight 
years,  and  Florence,  aged  three  years." 

In  national  affairs  Mr.  Tyrrell  always  sup- 
ports the  Democratic  ticket,  but  in  local  mat- 
ters he  votes  as  his  conscience  dictates.  He  has 
served  as  clerk  of  the  town  board  most  accept- 
ably. In  religious  matters.  Mr.  Tyrrell  is  a 
Presbyterian  and  liberally  contributes  toward 
the  support  of  that  denomination.  He  is  a  man 
of  prominence  and  popularity  in  his  communitv 
and  is  a  good  representative  of  the  agricultural 
interests  of  Kansas. 


HARLES  E.  GOODYEAR,  who  owns 
a  fine  farm  in  Waco  township,  is  serv- 
ing in  the  capacity  of  deputy  clerk 
of  the  district  court  of  Sedgwick  county,  Kan- 
sas. He  was  born  in  Newark.  New  Jersey, 
August  22,  1850,  and  is  a  son  of  Colonel  E. 
D.  S.  and  Sarah  (Bishop)  Goodyear. 

The  subject  of  this  record  received  his  edu- 
cation in  tlie  New  Haven  common  and  high 
schools.  After  leaving  school,  he  was  book- 
keeper in  a  commission  house  from  1865  until 
1867,  when  he  moved  to  Kansas,  and  during 


292 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


tlie  first  year  workctl  (ni  a  farm  in  W'aljaunsee 
county.  lie  tlien  houj^^lit  a  farm  there,  wliicli 
he  sokl  in  1869,  and  nmsed  I"  Wichita  town- 
sliip,  Sedgwick  cnunly.  Tlicrc  he  hiiiit;ht  an- 
otlier  farm,  wiiich  he  sdd  in  1S76.  and  umvcd 
ti)  Waco  ti iwiiship.  wliere  lie  ])urchased  the 
farm  wliicli  lie  calls  his  home,  lie  is  a  very 
progressive  man  and  has  always  heen  successful 
in  a  business  way.  I  le  is  a  Populist,  in  political 
belief,  and  has  served  on  the  school  board  for  a 
period  of  twenty  years,  two  years  as  township 
trustee,  and  three  years  on  the  board  of  re- 
gents of  the  state  agricultural  college.  He 
was  appointed  deputy  clerk  of  the  district  court 
on  January  i,  1897,  and  still  serves  in  that 
capacity.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  and  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  h'ellows. 

Mr.  Goodyear  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Emma  Smith,  and  they  arc  parents  of  eight 
children:  Mary;  Julia:  Paul;  Philip:  Bessie; 
Bertha ;  Ruth  and  Esther. 


IIOMAS  H.  MAHAN,  an  energetic 
and  enterprising  citizen  of  the  city  of 
Wichita,  is  a  member  of  the  Mahan  Sup- 
ply Company  and  a  representative  of  the  An- 
heuser-Busch lircwing  Coni])aiiy  and  the  St. 
Louis  Brewing  Comiiany.  both  in  Wichita  and 
on  the  road  as  a  commercial  traveler. 

Mr.  Mahan  was  born  in  Cleveland,  Oswego 
county.  New  York,  October  13.  1858.  and  is  a 
son  of  J.  and  Anna  (Purdy)  Mahan,  the  for- 
mer being  a  native  of  Ireland  and  the  latter  of 


Canada.  Six  children  were  the  issue  of  their 
union  :  h'dw  ard.  an  engineer  on  the  New  York 
Central  &  Hudson  River  Railroad,  making  his 
home  at  Syracuse,  New  \'ork  :  Patrick,  who  has 
not  heen  heai'd  from  I'm"  se\eral  years;  Anna, 
deceased:  'riinnias  11.;  J.  P..  wlm  is  a  partner 
in  business  with  the  subject  hei'enf.  and  .M;miie. 
wife  of  Edward  Wright,  who  is  a  barber  in 
Chicago. 

Thomas  H.  Malian's  early  life  was  spent  in 
the  Empire  State,  where  he  underwent  his  men- 
tal training,  aiul  in  1880  l)egan  his  business 
career.  He  served  an  apprenticeshi])  of  four 
years  to  the  trade  of  a  wool  grader,  in  the 
Oswego  Ealls  Mills,  and  worked  as  a  journey- 
man from  1884  to  1886.  His  brother,  J.  P. 
Mahan,  had  located  in  Wichita.  Kansas,  in 
1884,  and  there  established  his  present  business 
under  the  firm  n.ame  of  the  Mahan  Siip])lv  Com- 
pany, handling  all  lines  of  bottled  goods. 
Thomas  II.  w'ent  to  Wichita  in  18S6  and  en- 
gaged in  the  same  business  in  partnership  with 
his  brother.  From  a  comparatively  small  be- 
ginning, limited  to  the  handling  of  from  15  to 
20  carloads  of  their  merchandise  per  year,  they 
ha\  e  steadily  increased  the  volume  of  the  trade 
to  150  or  160  carloads  per  annum.  As  a  side 
line  they  carry  the  Manitou  mineral  water,  from 
Manitou,  Colorado,  doing  mainly  a  wholesale 
business.  The  company  occupies  a  brick  build- 
ing, TJO  by  125  feet  in  dimensions,  with  large 
of^ce  quarters  in  front  and  an  ample  store  room 
in  the  rear.  From  1 5  to  20  men  are  employed 
in  the  building,  and  one  or  two  traveling  sales- 
men. Alternately  the  brothers  make  trips  on 
the  road  in  the  interests  of  their  house  and  of 


'I      NEW 
'  PUF- 


S.  b.  KEKNAN. 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


295 


the  two  brewing  companies  liereinbefore  men- 
tioned. 

Mr.  Maiian  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Sarah  J.  Ryder,  of  Providence,  Rhode  Island, 
and  tliey  have  six  daughters,  as  follows : 
Mamie,  Fanny,  and  Bessie,  who  attend  the 
Catholic  school  in  Wichita;  Grace,  who  is  just 
starting  in  school,  and  Josephine  and  Anna. 
In  religious  faith  the  family  are  Catholics,  un- 
der the  ministrations  of  Rev.  Father  Tihen. 
Politically  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  Demo- 
crat ;  fraternally,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic 
Knights  of  America,  the  Knights  of  Pythias, 
the  Commercial  Travelers,  and  the  Bene\olent 
and  Protective  Order  of  Elks. 


B.  KERNAN,  who  has  a  large  and 
well  established  grocery  trade  in 
*  Wichita,  Kansas,  is  located  at  No. 
II02  East  Douglas  avenue.  He  was  born  at 
Monongahela,  Washington  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania-, in  1 85 1,  and  is  a  son  of  F.  F.  and  M.  J. 
P.  (Robison)  Kernan. 

F.  F.  Kernan  owned  a  farm  adjoining  the 
city  of  Monongahela,  and  was  a  very  prosperous 
man.  He  and  his  wife  were  parents  of  six 
children,  as  follows:  Eliza  C.  (Kennedy),  who 
for  years  resided  in  Iowa  but  is  now  in  Ohio: 
Maria  L.  (Devore).  of  Wichita:  Roljcrt,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  eight  years;  Thomas  H.,  a 
physician,  who  died  in  Iowa  in  the  sjiring  of 
1876;  S.  B.,  the  subject  of  this  personal  history; 
and  F.  M.,  who  was  associated  in  business  with 
S.  B.  until  his  death  occurred  in  1890, 


S.  B.  Kernan  attended  the  graded  schools  of 
his  natix'e  town  until  be  was  sixteen  years  of  age 
and  then  started  in  to  support  himself.  His 
first  work  was  at  teaming,  and  at  that  he  con- 
tinued for  a  period  of  sixteen  years  during  the 
winter  months,  being  engaged  in  farming  dur- 
the  summers.  In  1883,  the  entire  family  came 
west  to  Wichita,  Kansas,  and  our  subject  fol- 
lowed farming  near  the  city  for  some  three 
years.  Selling  liis  property  in  Pennsylvania, 
for  a  handsome  sum,  he  utilized  the  proceeds 
in  speculating  in  Wichita  real  estate,  his  in\'est- 
ments  being  made  before  and  during  the  b(.)om. 
He  formed  a  partnership  with  his  brother  and 
a  Mr.  Webb,  untler  the  firm  name  of  Kernan 
Brothers  &  Webb,  which  continued  through- 
out the  period  of  inflated  prices  incident  to  the 
rapid  growth  and  deselopment  of  the  city.  He 
then  went  into  the  grocery  business  with  his 
l)r(jther,  the  firm  name  being  Kernan  Brothers, 
and  they  continued  together  until  the  death  of 
F.  M.  Kernan  in  1890.  S.  B.  Kernan  then  pur- 
chased the  outstanding  interest  and  has  since 
conducted  the  store  under  the  title  of  Kernan 
&  Company.  He  carries  a  complete  line  of  gen- 
eral groceries,  anil  has  worked  up  an  excellent 
trade,  receiving  the  patronage  of  the  best  citi- 
zens of  the  city.  He  has  been  at  his  present 
location.  No.  11 02  East  Douglas  avenue,  since 
first  starting  in  business.  Fle  owns  a  comforta- 
ble residence  on  South  Topcka  avenue,  in  which 
he  and  his  family  reside. 

Mr.  Kernan  was  united  in  marriage  in  Penn- 
sylvania with  Emma  J.  Warne,  whose  family 
was  among  the  -first  to  settle  in  Monongahela, 
where  her  father  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-four 


296 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


years.  Tliis  town  was  first  known  as  Parkin- 
son's Ferry,  tlien  as  Willianisport,  and  finally 
was  changed  to  its  present  name.  The  union  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kernan  was  blessed  with  one 
son,  J.  v..  who  is  attending  Northwestern  Uni- 
versity Dental  School  in  Chicago,  Illinois,  and 
spending  his  vacations  with  Dr.  Iloagland. 
Politically.  Mr.  Kernan  is  a  Republican  and 
as  a  right-minded  citizen  takes  an  active  interest 
in  county  and  city  politics.  He  has  served  as 
president  of  the  city  school  board  and  also  as 
treasurer  of  the  city.  In  1897,  he  served  as 
chairman  of  the  Republican  county  central  com- 
mittee, of  which  he  is  the  present  treasurer. 
Fraternally,  he  is  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason, 
Scottish  Rites;  a  member  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias ;  Fraternal  Aid  Association ;  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America :  and  the  Knights  of 
the  Protected  Ark,  an  order  originating  in 
Wichita,  of  which  he  is  supreme  treasurer.  .\ 
portrait  of  Mr.  Kernan  is  presented  on  a  fore- 
going page,  in  proximity  to  this. 


/g^  EORGE  M.  RANDALL  is  superih- 
l  ■^T'  tendent,  manager  and  part  owner  of 
the  Union  Mills,  one  of  the  largest  in- 
dustries of  Wichita,  Kansas.  He  is  a  man  of 
exceptional  business  qualities  and  his  capable 
management  has  placed  the  mill  in  a  thriving 
condition. 

Mr.  Randall  was  born  in  Jackson  county, 
Michigan,  in  1851,  and  is  a  son  of  S.  A.  and 
Lucretia  (Palmer)  Randall,  his  parents  being 
natives  of  Madison  county,  New  York.     His 


father  was  a  very  successful  man  in  agricultural 
pursuits.  He  has  a  brother,  E.  ¥.,  who  was 
located  in  Rooks  county,  Kansas,  but  is  now 
engaged  in  the  creamery  business  at  New  What- 
com, Washington.  He  also  has  a  sister,  Adelia, 
who  married  David  T.  Harnham,  a  soldier  in 
the  20th  Reg.  Ind.  \'ol.  Inf..  who  was  killed 
before  Atlanta,  while  on  picket  duty.  She  was 
afterward  married  to  John  Lorscheider,  of  Chi- 
cago, in  which  city  they  now  reside. 

George  M.  Randall  was  reared  in  Illinois  and 
attended  the  University  of  Illinois,  at  Cham- 
paign. He  afterward  followed  farming  until 
1878,  and  then  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits 
in  Rooks  county,  Kansas,  until  1890.  Ne.xt  he 
moved  to  Cawker  City,  Mitchell  county,  having 
previously  learned  the  trade  of  a  miller.  From 
1892  to  January  i,  1900,  he  acted  as  traveling 
salesman  for  the  Barnard  &  Leas  Manufactur- 
ing Company,  of  Moline,  Illinois,  selling  all 
kinds  of  mill  and  elevator  machinery  through- 
out Kansas  and  Oklahoma.  He  resided  during 
that  time  at  Enterprise,  Kansas,  and  in  1900 
located  in  Wichita.  He  became  a  stockholder 
in  the  Union  Mills  in  1894,  when  they  were 
located  in  a  brick  building  on  Oak  street,  which 
they  rented  and  which  was  built  during  the 
boom.  The  capacity  of  the  plant  was  then  75 
barrels  per  day.  The  new  mill  on  Douglas  ave- 
nue, veneered  with  brick,  was  completed  and 
put  in  operation  on  July  27,  1900,  with  J.  E. 
Howard  as  president  and  George  M.  Randall  as 
superintendent  and  manager.  It  is  equipped 
with  new  and  modern  machinery  and  the  out- 
put is  180  barrels  per  day,  the  first  grade  flour 
being  the  "Peerless  Princess,"  made  from  Kan- 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


297 


sas  hard  wlieat.  They  have  a  125-H.  P.  engine 
and  tlie  valuation  of  the  entire  plant  is  placed 
at  $20,000.  Under  efficient  management  a  fine 
trade  has  been  built  up  and  the  mill  is  on  a  good 
financial  basis.  The  milling  company  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Kansas  Millers'  Association. 

Mr.  Randall  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Ella  Butts,  a  daughter  of  Milton  and  Caroline 
(Simonds)  Butts,  who  are  parents  of  five 
daughters  and  two  sons,  as  follow-s :  Mary 
(Gibson) ,  of  Kankakee  count3\  Illinois ;  Jennie, 
wife  of  L.  T.  Blount,  of  Wayne  county,  Michi- 
gan ;  Cora  D.,  who  lives  in  Chicago,  Illinois; 
Clara,  wife  of  W.  W.  Watson,  of  Salina,  Kan- 
sas ;  Ella,  the  youngest  daughter,  wdio  is  the 
wife  of  Mr.  Randall;  Harry,  who  is  eighteen 
years  old  and  attends  the  high  school ;  and 
Charles,  who  is  also  in  the  high  school.  Mr. 
Randall  and  his  wife  have  two  sons  at  home  in 
Wichita. 


■M.  SUTTON  is  proprietor  of  the 
Farmers'  grocery  at  Nos.  800  and 
*  802  East  Murdock  street,  Wichita, 
Kansas.  The  store,  which  gained  its  name  from 
the  fact  that  its  location  is  especially  convenient 
to  farmers,  has  carried  on  a  very  extensive  busi- 
ness there  for  many  years.  Mr.  Sutton  was  pos- 
sessed of  but  75  cents  when  he  first  came  to 
Kansas,  and  what  he  now  has  represents  years 
of  hard  work  and  skilful  management. 

W.  M.  Sutton  was  born  in  Meigs  county, 
Ohio,  in  1 85 1,  and  is  a  son  of  Peter  and  Char- 
lotte (Raredon)  Sutton,  the  former  a  native 
of  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  and  the  latter  of 


Ohio.  In  1856  the  parents  moved  to  Wood 
county.  West  Virginia,  near  Parkersburg, 
where  Peter  Sutton  purchased  land  and  fol- 
lowed farming.  He  and  his  wife  became  the 
jiarents  of  se\-en  children — all  of  whom  but 
the  two  oldest  arc  living  near  San  Antonio, 
Texas,  with  their  widowed  mother.  Their 
names  are  as  follows:  W.  M.,  the  subject 
hereof ;  George,  w'ho  assists  him  in  operating 
the  store  at  Wichita ;  John,  who  went  to  Texas 
in  1875;  Samuel;  Matilda  (Pratt);  Rowena 
(Gibson),  and  Rosa  (McKinney). 

W.  M.  Sutton  was  reared  and  schooled  in 
Wood  county.  West  Virginia,  and  remained 
at  home  until  1871,  when  the  family  moved 
west.  They  arrived  at  Wichita  on  June  7, 
1 87 1,  w-ith  but  75  cents  in  money,  and  soon 
after  preemjoteil  a  claim  18  miles  southeast 
of  the  \-illage.  There  Mr.  Sutton  farmed  until 
the  spring  of  1885,  when  he  located  at  Wichita 
and  was  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business  for 
one  year.  He  then  went  to  Scott  county  and 
purchased  a  quarter  section  of  land,  which  he 
improved  and  lived  upon  for  a  period  of  eleven 
months.  He  again  returned  to  Wichita,  and 
three  months  later  purchased  the  grocery  busi- 
ness of  B.  Garrison,  whose  store  was  located 
across  the  street  and  east  of  where  Mr.  Sutton's 
now  is.  He  moved  into  his  present  store  at 
the  corner  of  Meade  and  Murdock  streets  in 
1889,  and  carried  on  the  grocery  business  until 
about  1895,  when  he  added  the  meat  business 
thereto.  He  buys  meat  from  the  Dold  Pack- 
ing Company,  just  as  required,  and  does  no 
slaughtering.  Three  or  four  stores  are  located 
in  the  vicinity,  but  Mr.   Sutton  has  held  his 


298 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


tr;ulc  wliile  many  of  tlie  otliers  liave  moved 
away  in  recent  years.  He  carries  a  complete 
line  of  groceries,  meats  and  general  produce. 
The  store  is  in  a  very  prosperous  condition, 
and  during  llie  past  eight  years  the  annual  vol- 
ume of  business  has  exceeded  $20,000. 

Mr.  Sutton  was  united  in  marriage,  in  1881, 
with  Ada  McW'iliiams,  wiiose  family  moved 
to  Kansas  from  Illinois.  They  are  parents  of 
two  children — Maude,  who  attends  Lewis 
Academv,  and  Knhcrt,  who  is  in  the  eighth 
grade  of  the  city  schixils.  In  jiolitics  Mr.  Sut- 
ton is  a  stanch  Repuhlican,  and  in  the  spring 
of  1897  he  was  elected  councilman  from  the 
Fourth  W'ard  and  reelected  in  1899.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  member  of  the  Fra- 
ternal .\id  .Association  and  .Auxiliary,  the  Mod- 
ern Wiiodmcn  of  America  and  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  Me  owns  a  fine  home 
at  No.  635  Wabash  street. 


T^LINTON  E.  PARKHURST,  an  ener- 
l  j[        getic  and  prosperous  business  man  of 

^ — ^  Wichita,  Kansas,  is  engaged  in  the 
grocery  and  meat  business  at  No.  600  East 
Douglas  avenue,  and  has  built  up  a  substantial 
trade.  He  has  also  served  in  a  most  efficient 
manner  as  councilman  from  the  First  Ward. 

Mr.  I'arkhurst  was  born  in  1862  at  Barre, 
six  miles  from  Montpelier,  A'ermont,  and  is  a 
son  of  Charles  K.  and  Clara  (Miles)  Park- 
hurst,  both  natives  of  Massachusetts.  Charles 
K.  Parkhurst  was  a  farmer  and  served  three 
years  in  the  Civil  War.     He  and  his  wife  were 


parents  of  four  children — ^Josie  (Williams),  of 
.Auburn,  New  York;  Charles,  an  actor  and  mu- 
sician of  considerable  note,  who  moved  west 
to  Minnesota  in  1880,  remained  there  five  years 
mid  then  went  to  Memphis,  Tennessee,  where 
he  died:  Clinton  l"..,  frci|nenily  called  Charles, 
who  is  the  subject  hereof,  and  Curtis,  who  is 
engaged  in  the  i)rinting  business  in  V'ermont. 

Clinton  I^.  Parkhurst  was  reared  and  men- 
tally trained  in  \'ermont,  until  he  became  of 
age.  During  this  period  he  learned  the  trade 
of  decorating  and  paper  hanging,  which  he 
snbseijuently  followed  about  fifteen  years  in  all. 
In  1882  he  located  at  Edwardsville,  Illinois, 
near  St.  Louis,  and  remained  there  for  five 
years,  after  which,  in  1887,  he  moved  to  Wich- 
ita, Kansas.  He  worked  at  his  trade  for  Young 
Brothers  a  couple  of  years,  and  in  1889  entered 
the  meat  business.  Inlying  out  Donohue  &  Dun- 
can at  No.  712  East  Douglas  avenue.  1  le  then 
went  into  partnership  with  J.  T.  Wilson,  and 
they  conducted  the  business  for  three  years, 
when  he  sold  out  his  interest.  At  this  period  he 
entered  the  grocery  and  meat  business,  being 
located  at  several  different  places  until  he 
moved  to  No.  1 149  South  Lawrence  avenue. 
There  he  continued  for  four  vears,  but  had  the 
misfortune  to  be  burned  out  in  July,  1899,  suf- 
fei^ing  a  serious  loss.  However,  he  remained  in 
the  business,  moving  to  No.  600  East  Douglas 
a\enue,  where  he  enjoys  a  splendid  trade. 

Mr.  I'arkhurst  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Emma  Potts,  a  native  of  Missouri,  and  they 
have  a  daughter,  Josie,  who  is  seven  years  old 
and  in  the  second  grade  at  school.  Their  son, 
Charlie,  is  deceased.    Mr.  Parkhurst  has  built 


,  v-ORK 

I  PUBLIC  LIBR/VRvl 

^Astor,  lerox  and  TUrien  y 


EDWARD  ELLIOTT  HARVEY. 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


301 


a  g'ond  CDiiifdrtahle  home  at  No.  IJ07  Law- 
rence a\emie.  In  politics  lie  is  a  Republican, 
and  takes  an  especial  interest  in  the  affairs  of 
the  city.  He  was  elected,  in  Ajiril,  1899,  coun- 
cihnan  from  the  First  Wartl,  and  is  serving  in 
a  highly  satisfactory  manner.  Me  is  a  meniher 
of  the  hideiiendenl  ( )rdcr  of  ( )dd  I'\']lo\\  s,  hoth 
of  the  suhordinate  lodge  and  encampment. — 
has  been  a  memhcr  of  the  Modern  Woodmen 
of  America  since  1890.  and  belongs  to  its 
anxilliary.  Royal  Neighbors,  as  does  his  wife. 
They  are  regular  attendants  of  the  Central 
Christian  church. 


Y^"^^     DWARD  ELLIOTT  HARVEY,  an 
K|  attorney-at-law  of  recognized  abil- 

^    '  itv.   whose  portrait  is  shown   here- 

with, ranks  with  the  ablest  lawyers  in  Sedg- 
wick county,  Kansas.  He  was  born  in  Appa- 
noose count\',  Iowa,  in  1865,  and  is  a  S(.)n  of 
Captain  Elijah  Elliott  Harvey. 

Captain  Harvey  was  Ijorn  in  Monroe  count)-, 
Indiana,  April  i,  1826,  and  early  in  life  was 
ordained  an  elder  of  the  Christian  church.  In 
1855,  he  settled  in  .\ppanoose  count}',  Iowa, 
and  lived  there  nineteen  years,  founding  the 
now  prosperous  town  of  Bellaire.  In  1872,  he 
mo\-ed  to  Bi;tler  county,  Kansas,  and  in  1885 
to  Dighton,  Lane  county,  Kansas.  He  is  a  vet- 
eran of  the  Mexican  War,  ha\ing  served  one 
}-ear  in  the  3d  Reg.  fnd.  Vol.  Inf..  under 
Colonel  James  H.  Lane.  In  1S61,  he  enlisted  in 
the  Union  Army  and  served  three  and  a  half 
years,  being  captain  in  the  6th  Reg.,  Kans.  Vol. 


Caw  While  in  liutler  county,  he  ser\-e(l  two 
terms  as  register  of  deeds.  August  5,  1850, 
he  was  married  l)y  Rev.  W.  H.  Jackson,  of  the 
M.  E,  church  of  Leedsville,  Indiana,  to  Marilla 
Flinn.  She  was  born  in  Lawrence  county, 
Indiana,  November  13,  1828.  On  August  5, 
1900,  they  celebrated  their  golden  wedding,  the 
day  lieing  brightened  by  the  presence  of  the 
entire  family  and  many  friends.  Their  children 
are :  William  Horace,  a  musician  and  dealer  in 
musical  instruments  at  Enid,  Oklahoma,  who  is 
married  and  has  two  children, — Lena,  wife  of 
H.  O.  Turner,  by  whom  she  has  two  children, 
Lloyd  K.  and  Lael.  and  Ruth  Ida.  wife  of  J.  A. 
Robinson,  who  has  three  children.  Herbert. 
James  L..  and  Marilla  A. ;  Ada,  wife  of  Robert 
M.  Lambdin,  of  Denver,  Colorado,  has  two 
children,  Lena  and  Robert  Lynn ;  May  died  in 
infancy;  Ella  Inez,  wife  of  W.  B.  Montgomery, 
of  Pueblo,  Colorado,  has  two  children,  .\da 
Dora  and  Donald;  Emma  Irene,  wife  of  C.  C. 
Cary,  of  Great  Bend,  Kansas ;  Minnie  Blanche, 
deceased;  Edward  Elliott,  our  subject;  and 
Charles  Wallace,  engaged  in  the  real  estate 
business  at  El  Dorado,  Kansas,  who  married 
Cora  Taylor,  and  has  a  son,  Charles,  Jr.  Mr, 
and  Mrs.  Harx'ey  ha\'e  always  been  ardent 
workers  in  the  Christian  church,  of  which  all 
the  children  are  members. 

Edward  Elliott  Harve)'  receised  his  early 
education  in  the  pulilic  schools  of  Butler  county, 
Kansas,  and  then  took  a  higher  course  of  study 
in  Garfield  LIniversity  at  Wichita.  He  read 
law  with  C,  E.  Lobdell,  then  with  C.  W.  Pills- 
bury,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1892.  He 
began,     practice     at     Dighton,     Kansas,     and 


302 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


practiced  alone.  During  the  years  of  1897 
and  1898.  lie  was  county  attorney  of 
Lane  county,  Kansas,  liaving  l)een  elected 
on  tlie  Republican  ticket,  Init  refused  a 
renomination.  He  served  as  city  at- 
torney for  five  consecutive  years  under  four 
diti'crent  city  adiiiiuistrations.  lie  moved  to 
Wichita.  Kansas,  in  February,  1899,  and 
formed  a  partnership  with  Henry  W.  Hutt- 
mann,  and  the  firm  of  Huttmann  &  liarvey  was 
a  familiar  one  throughout  the  count}'.  This 
firm  dissolved  partnership  with  the  close  of  the 
century,  and  Mr.  Harvey  is  now  practicing 
alone. 

Mr.  Harvey  was  joined  in  matrimonial  bonds 
with  Fay  Bower,  a  daughter  of  Effingham  T. 
Bower,  of  Dighton,  formerly  in  the  pension 
department  at  \\'ashington,  D.  C,  but  now 
deceased.  They  are  parents  of  one  child  :  Har- 
old Elliott.  Fraternally,  our  subject  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  Woodmen 
of  the  World. 


7TA 1  lARLES  P.  MUELLER,  who  has  been 
I  Jj       identified    w  ith    the    occupation    of    a 

^■-— ^  florist  almost  continuously  since  he 
was  fifteen  years  of  age,  is  now  proprietor  of  a 
large  establishment  at  Wichita,  Kansas.  He  has 
large  greenhouses  in  the  best  part  of  the  city, 
and  is  making  a  specialty  of  cut  flowers.  In  this 
line  he  is  without  competition,  and  ships  to 
ixjints  many  miles  distant. 

Mr.  Mueller  was  born  in  1862,  in  the  village 
of  Williamsville,  10  miles  from  the  city  of  Buf- 


falo, Xew  York,  and  is  a  son  of  P.  J.  Mueller. 
The  latter  is  a  tailor  by  trade  and  is  now  living 
with  his  wife  at  Wichita,  and  although  he  has 
reached  an  advanced  age  still  follows  his  trade. 
He  served  in  a  New  York  regiment  during  the 
Civil  War.  He  is  the  father  of  six  sons:  G. 
J.,  who  died  in  1S80;  Henry,  who  came  to  Kan- 
sas in  \i>/f).  and  is  now  postmaster  of  Sedg- 
wick, Harvey  county,  Kansas;  Charles  P., 
whose  name  heads  this  biography :  F.  W.,  who 
is  engaged  in  the  harness  making  business  at 
Mount  Hope,  Sedgwick  county;  A.  G.,  an  un- 
dertaker, of  \\'ichita :  and  E.  J-.  who  is  in  the 
employ  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Charles  P.  Mueller  obtained  his  early  and 
rather  limited  mental  training  in  his  native 
town,  and  in  1877,  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years, 
was  hired  out  by  his  father  to  Long  Brothers, 
prominent  florists,  of  Buffalo.  Xew  York,  for 
whom  he  workeil  for  one  year,  at  one  dollar  per 
month.  Long  Brothers  were  the  leading  flor- 
ists, seedsmen  and  nurserymen  of  Western  New 
York.  Mr.  Mueller  served  in  the  flower  depart- 
ment for  eighteen  months,  and  having  acquired 
a  great  deal  of  experience,  was  transferred  to 
the  greenhouse  to  do  general  work.  He  re- 
mained in  that  department  for  seven  years,  the 
last  two  years  of  which  period  he  was  virtually 
superintendent. — having  charge  of  the  entire 
greenhouse,  where  an  immense  business  was 
carried  on.  I'])  to  the  age  of  twenty-one  years, 
all  of  his  earnings,  e.\clusi\e  of  the  amount  re- 
quired for  absolute  necessities,  were  turned  o\er 
to  his  father.  In  1883.  the  father  of  the  Long 
brothers  died,  and  a  change  in  their  business 
resulted.    Mr.  Mueller,  after  receiving  $35  and 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


303 


a  recommendation,  went  to  New  York  City  in 
search  of  employment,  and,  during  the  short 
time  he  was  there,  spent  all  that  he  had  saved. 
He  then  borrowed  $35  from  a  friend  on  his 
personal  note,  and  moved  to  Wichita,  Kansas. 
He  entered  the  confectionery  business  with  an 
uncle,  and  they  conducted  it  for  some  time. 
Ha\-ing  become  acquainted  with  a  Mr.  Rose, 
he  embarked  in  floriculture  with  that  gentle- 
man, at  the  corner  of  Third  and  Water  streets. 
In  1888,  they  built  a  greenhouse  in  the  north- 
west portion  of  the  city,  and  soon  after  Mr. 
Mueller  purchased  his  partner's  interest  and 
continued  to  operate  the  concern  there  until 
1 89 1.  He  then  moved  to  Fairmount,  but  in 
1898,  returned  to  Wichita,  and  started  his  pres- 
ent business  at  the  corner  of  Tenth  and  Market 
streets.  Under  careful  and  skillful  manage- 
ment his  trade  has  grown  until  lie  has  by  far  the 
largest  patronage  in  cut  flowers  in  Western 
Kansas.  His  establishment  occupies  seven  or 
eight  lots  in  a  beautiful  residence  portion  of  the 
city,  and  his  greenhouse  has  a  covering  of  over 
7,000  square  feet  of  glass.  His  cut  flowers  in- 
clude a  large  variety,  and  he  has  an  extensive 
trade  outside  of  the  city, — his  shipments 
through  Kansas  and  Oklahoma  being  on  the  in- 
crease. His  plant  is  thoroughly  modern 
throughout,  and  is  provided  with  every  con- 
venience. For  watering  the  plants  on  the  out- 
side, he  has  a  nozzle  attached  to  a  vertical  pipe 
set  in  a  frame  on  wheels,  so  as  to  be  movable 
from  one  place  to  another.  The  water  is  sup- 
plied by  the  city,  and  the  nozzle  throws  a  rain- 
like spray  for  some  distance  on  ever}^  side. 
He  also  has  a  boiler  of  the  latest  model  to 


operate    the    hot-water    heating    apparatus    in 
w  inter. 

Mr.  Mueller  returned  to  Buft'alo  in  1888,  and 
was  then  married  to  Esther  E.  Summey  (a 
niece  of  his  former  employers  there),  and  they 
have  three  children:  Harry,  Laura,  and  Mil- 
dred. Airs.  Mueller  makes  frequent  visits  to 
her  old  home  at  Buffalo.  Mr.  Mueller  is  a 
Republican,  in  politics.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
A.  F.  &  A.  :M.,  Albert  Pike  Lodge,  No.  303, 
of  Wichita,  Kansas ;  the  Ancient  Order  of 
United  Workmen:  Fraternal  Aid  Association; 
and  the  Ideal  Benefit  Association.  His  resi- 
dence is  connected  directly  with  the  greenhouse, 
a  front  room  of  the  house  being  used  as  an 
office.  Mr.  Mueller  also  raises  and  sells  quite  a 
number  of  goldfish. 


v^HARLES  S.  CALDWELL,  a  gentle- 
I  J[  man  who  has  ever  evinced  a  deep  in- 
^**'  -^  terest  in  educational  matters,  is  now 
secretary  of  the  board  of  education  of  the  city 
of  Wichita,  Kansas.  He  was  born  in  Mercer 
county,  Illinois,  August  14,  1837,  and  is  a  son 
of  Robert  and  Mary  (Pollock)  Caldwell. 

Robert  Caldwell  was  l)orn  in  Jefferson 
county,  Ohio,  and  was  reared  in  that  state. 
Prior  to  his  marriage  he  removed  to  ]\Iercer 
county.  Illinois.  He  died  in  ^^'ichita,  Kansas, 
in  1890,  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years.  His 
wife  was  Mary  Pollock,  a  native  of  Illinois, 
who  now  resides  in  New  Orleans,  Louisiana, 
at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-three  years. 
Their  union  resulted  in  the  following  offspring : 


304 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


Charles  S. ;  Robert  J.;  Emily  F.  (Pollock); 
Marjorie  (McCoy),  deceased;  and  Mary  E. 
(Porter). 

Charles  S.  Caldwell  obtained  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  Mercer  county,  Illinois. 
He  taught  school  for  three  years,  after  which 
he  engaged  in  farming  until  1S71.  In  that 
year  he  inoxed  to  Wichita,  Kansas,  where  he 
has  since  resided.  .V  considerable  portion  of  his 
time  has  been  devoted  to  clerical  work,  and  dur- 
ing the  past  twelve  years  he  has  been  identified 
with  the  fire  insurance  business.  He  is  a  stanch 
supporter  of  the  principles  of  the  Republican 
party,  and  has  held  several  jjublic  offices.  He 
was  register  of  deeds  for  two  terms, — serving 
from  1878  to  1882.  He  was  elected  secretary 
of  the  board  of  education,  in  1897,  and  has 
been  reelected  each  successive  year.  He  has 
served  in  an  efficient  manner  and  is  accorded 
the  highest  respect  and  esteem  of  his  fellow 
citizens. 

Mr.  Caldwell  was  unitcrl  in  matrimony  with 
Sarah  Pollock,  and  they  are  the  parents  of 
two  children  :  E.  Gail  and  C.  Guy.  The  subject 
of  this  sketch  and  his  family  are  members  of 
the  Presbyterian  church,  of  Wichita,  Kansas. 


|^^h:\'.  J.  IIKXRV  TIHEN,  rector  of  the 
cathednd  at  Wichita,  Kansas,  occupies 
a  high  ])lace  in  the  esteem  of  the 
citizens  of  that  community.  He  is  a  man  of  great 
strength  of  character  as  well  as  being  broad- 
minded  and  of  liberal  views.  With  the  welfare 
of  all  at  heart,  regardless  of  creed,  he  has  been 


highly  successful  in  his  lifework,  and  has  en- 
deared himself  to  all  with  whom  he  has  come 
into  contact. 

Father  Tihen  was  born  in  Franklin  county, 
Indiana,  July  14,  1861,  and  is  a  son  of  Her- 
man H.  Tihen,  who  was  a  farmer  all  liis  life. 
The  latter  was  the  parent  of  five  sons  and  five 
daughters.  In  1865  he  moved  to  Jefferson 
City,  Missouri,  where  he  purchased  a  farm  and 
spent  the  remainder  of  his  days.  The  subject 
of  this  sketch  attended  the  public  schools  for 
some  years,  after  which  he  took  a  course  of 
study  in  St.  Benedict's  College  at  Atchison, 
Kansas,  graduating  with  the  class  of  1882,  of 
which  he  was  valedictorian.  He  then  studied 
philosophy  and  theology  at  St.  Francis'  Sem- 
inary, in  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin,  graduating 
in  1886.  He  was  ordained  to  the  priesthood 
April  26,  1886,  by  the  Most  Reverend  Arch- 
bisliii])  Kenrick,  of  St.  Louis,  and  was  appoint- 
ed assistant  to  Rev.  J.  J.  Hennessy,  then  pastor 
of  St.  John's  Church,  of  St.  Louis,  and  now 
Bishop  of  Wichita  and  Southern  Kansas.  In 
the  early  part  of  1889  he  came  to  Wichita  with 
Bishop  Hennessy,  and  became  rector  of  the 
cathedral. 

The  cathedral  was  built,  in  1886,  by  Rev. 
M.  J.  Casey,  and  was  dedicated  in  1887. 
It  is  a  modern  brick  structure,  80  by  46 
feet  in  dimensions,  and  is  lighted  by  gas 
and  electricity.  It  has  a  seating  capacity  of 
500,  and  when  Re\'.  J.  Henry  Tihen  assumed 
charge  February  15,  1889.  there  was  a  mem- 
bership of  150  families,  which  he  has  increased 
to  200.  In  1 887- 1 888  the  cathedral  school  was 
erected,  which  has  always  been  largely  attend- 


SILAS  RUTLEDGE. 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


307 


ed,  the  enrcillment  in  1899  being  zyj  scliolars. 
The  institution  is  under  eight  competent  in- 
structors, who  li\'e  in  a  liome  which  was  for- 
merly the  parochial  residence.  In  1899  a  tine 
modern  residence  was  purchased  for  the  use 
of  the  rector.  He  established  the  local  coun- 
cil of  the  Catholic  Knights  of  America,  Ladies' 
Altar  Society,  Young  Ladies'  Society,  and  the 
Young  Men's  Union  in  connection  with  the 
church.  Since  he  has  been  in  charge  the  gal- 
lery of  the  church  has  been  lowered,  a  new  or- 
gan has  been  secured  and  a  new  pul])it  and  new 
altars  ha\-e  l)een  binlt.  The  work  of  the  suli- 
ject  hereof  has  resulted  in  great  good  in  Wich- 
ita, as  he  has  always  been  on  the  right  side  of 
every  question  and  enthusiastic  in  his  support 
of  worthy  causes. 


ILAS  RUTLEDGE.  a  well  known 
and  highly  successful  farmer  of  Eagle 
township,  Sedgwick  c<>unt}',  Kansas, 
a  portrait  nf  wIidui  appears  on  the  o[)posite 
page,  owns  160  acres  of  land  in  section  34. 
He  was  born  May  3,  1837,  in  Dixon  cmmty, 
Tennessee,  and  is  a  son  of  Da\'id  and  y\nn 
(  Harris)  Rutledge,  the  former  a  nati\'e  of  Ten- 
nessee and  the  latter  of  North  Carolina. 

John  Rutledge,  the  grandfather  cif  our  sub- 
ject", was  a  nati\'e  nf  Virginia,  where  he  was  an 
extensive  planter.  He  married  a  Miss  Loggins, 
who  was  of  L'ish  descent,  and  they  had  but  one 
son,  David.  David  Rutledge  received  his  edu- 
cation in  tlie  common  schools  of  the  South,  but 
after  his  marriage  mo\'ed   with  his   family  to 


Christian  county,  Illinois,  there  preempting  a 
claim.  He  later  disposed  of  this  property,  but 
lived  in  Christian  county  the  remainder  of  his 
life,  at  one  time  owning  as  much  as  400  acres 
there.  He  and  his  wife  became  parents  of  ten 
children,  namely:  Burgess;  Silas;  Tennessee 
Ann;  William,  who  was  killed  in  the  Civil 
War ;  Leonard  ;  Britton  ;  Sarah  J. ;  John  ;  Jo- 
seph :  and  one  who  died  young.  In  religious 
belief,  they  were  Cumberland  Presbyterians. 
Da\'id  Rutledge  died  in  February,  1868,  and 
his  widow  sur\i\'ed  him  until  February,   1881. 

Silas  Rutledge  was  educated  in  the  district 
schools  of  Illinois  and  remained  at  home  until 
he  was  twenty-four  years  of  age.  He  then 
enlisted  in  Company  E,  115th  Reg.,  111.  Vol. 
Inf.,  August  13,  1862,  and  served  until  May  28, 
1865.  He  was  wounded  while  in  ser\'ice  in 
Georgia,  and  was  confined  in  the  hospital  about 
six  weeks  from  the  effect  of  his  wounds,  but 
later  served  about  five  months  as  nurse.  After 
his  discharge,  he  returned  to  Illinois  and  en- 
gaged in  farming  until  November,  1870.  He 
then  mn\-e(l  west  to  Sedgwick  county,  Kansas, 
and  homesteaded  his  present  farm  of  160  acres. 
In  connection  with  general  farming  he  raises 
large  numbers  of  horses,  hogs  and  cattle,  mak- 
ing a  specialty  of  Poland-China  hogs.  He  has 
also  carried  on  a  genera!  blacksmith  and  repair 
shop,  recei\ing  a  liberal  share  of  puljlic  patron- 
age. 

In  July,  1861,  Mr.  Rutledge  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Maria  Hoffman,  of  Christian 
county,  Illinois.  He  formed  a  second  union 
in  1866  with  Mrs.  Martha  L.  Brannan,  of 
Moultrie  county,  Illinois,  and  they  had  a  daugh- 


308 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


ter.  Angeline,  who  died  at  the  age  of  seven 
months.  His  third  union  was  with  Olive  P. 
Smitli,  a  native  of  Augusta,  Maine,  and  they 
have  one  son,  Roy  R.  Religiously,  he  is  an 
Agnostic.  Tolitically,  lie  is  an  enthusiastic  sup- 
porter of  the  People's  party  and  strongly  advo- 
cates its  iirinciples.  Locally,  he  is  one  of  the 
party's  leaders  and  has  held  numerous  town- 
sliip  offices,  served  as  justice  of  the  jieace,  was 
a  member  of  tlie  school  board  and  in  1897- 
1898  represented  his  party  and  district  in  the 
state  legislature. 


JEFFERSON  jNI.  HALL,  one  of  the  lead- 
ing agriculturists  of  (Jreeley  township, 
Sedgwick  county.  Kansas,  is  the  owner 
of  320  acres  of  laml  in  section  12,  range  3, 
west.  He  was  Ixirn  in  Knox  county,  Tennes- 
see, January  17,  1841,  and  is  a  son  of  Thomas 
D.  and  Emeline  (Weir)  Hall. 

The  I-Iall  family  is  nf  luiglish  extraction,  two 
briithers  lia\ing  established  it  in  this  country, — 
one  locating  in  the  northern  portion  of  the 
Union  and  the  other,  in  a  Southern  State.  Jef- 
ferson M.  Hall  is  descended  from  the  latter. 
His  grandfather,  Thomas  Hall,  lived  in  Tennes- 
see. Thomas  D.  Hall,  father  of  Jefiferson  M., 
was  born  in  Knox  county,  Tennessee,  and 
after  attending  the  public  .schools  taught 
school  in  his  native  county.  In  1841 
he  removed  to  I'olk  county,  Missouri, 
where  he  purchased  a  farm,  conduct- 
ing at  the  same  time  a  general  merchandise 
store,  and  dealing  heavily  in  stock.     He  was 


a  very  prosperous  man  up  to  the  time  of  the 
Civil  War.  Being  a  Southern  sympathizer,  his 
property  was  confiscated,  and  that  which  could 
not  be  used  was  destroyed  by  fire.  He  next 
moved  to  Pettis  county,  ^lissouri,  where  he 
died  in  1873,  aged  sixty-five  years.  His  wife 
was  Emeline  W'eir,  a  daughter  of  John  Weir, 
also  a  native  of  Tennessee,  and  they  became 
the  parents  of  eleven  children:  Charlotte; 
Josephine;  Jefferson  M. ;  Susan  P.;  John  L. ; 
Hugh  S. ;  William  T. ;  Ambrose  S. ;  and  three 
who  died  in  infancy.  In  religious  belief,  they 
were  members  of  the  Methodist  church.  The 
widow  of  Thomas  D.  Hall  died  in  1892,  aged 
seventy-six  years. 

Jefferson  M.  Hall  attended  the  public  schools 
in  Missouri,  and  upon  the  completion  of  his 
schooling  was  engaged  as  a  teacher  in  Illinois, 
for  two  terms.  He  then  embarked  in  the  gro- 
cery business  at  Pana,  Illinois,  in  which  he  con- 
tinued for  se\'eral  years.  He  remained  at  Pana 
until  the  spring  of  1870,  when  he  left  that 
place  and  tuok  up  a  piece  of  land  in  Kansas, 
where  be  has  since  been  located.  His  original 
tract  was  160  acres,  and  to  this  he  subsequently 
added  iCio  acres,  which  he  acquired  by  home- 
stead right.  Half  of  this  is  devoted  to  general 
farming,  and  the  other  half  is  pasture  land. 
Its  owner  is  extensively  engaged  in  stock  rais- 
ing, the  average  jirodnct  being  from  50  to  100 
head  o{  cattle  and  hogs  per  year. 

Mr.  Hall  was  united  in  marriage,  in  1873, 
with  Marv  1.  Anderson,  a  daughter  of  Robert 
F.  and  Mary  Anderson,  who  were  natives  of 
Illinois,  but  moved  to  Kansas  in  1865.  This 
union  resulted  in  one  child.   Ivy  M.,   wife  of 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


309 


Frederick  E.  Wilkinson,  of  (3ttawa,  Kansas. 
They  also  ailopted  a  daughter,  Margaret  J., 
who  became  the  wife  of  William  P.  Hess,  of 
Greeley  township,  Sedgwick  county,  Kansas, 
by  whom  she  has  a  child,  Thelma  I.  In  a  re- 
ligious connection,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hall  are 
members  of  the  Bethany  Baptist  church,  in 
Greeley  township.  In  politics,  Mr.  Hall  favors 
the  Democratic  party. 


-t^  ELSON   L.   WATSON,   deceased,   for 

I  — /  many  years  a  prominent  farmer  of 
^—  ■^  Greeley  township,  Sedgwick  coun- 
ty, Kansas,  had  an  interesting  and  varied  career 
having  been  both  a  minister  of  the  Gospel,  and 
a  physician.  He  was  a  man  of  considerable 
prominence  in  his  Incality  and  his  death,  which 
occurred  February  _'.  iS<)7.  was  mourned  liy  a 
large  circle  of  friends,  who  realized  that  in  him 
the  township  had  lost  one  of  its  worthiest  citi- 
zens. Nelson  L.  Watson  was  bora  April  ii, 
1817,  and  was  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Jane  (Mc- 
Cormick)  Watson,  both  natives  of  the  north 
of  Ireland. 

Joseph  Watson  was  educated  in  the  schools 
of  Ireland.  His  parents  died  when  he  was  an 
infant,  and  he  was  adopted  by  a  wealthy  family, 
who  spared  no  means  in  providing  him  with  a 
good  education.  Me  came  to  this  country 
directly  after  his  marriage  to  Jane  McCormick, 
and  they  settled  in  Greene  county.  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  he  took  up  land  in  181 2,  and  de\'el- 
oped  it  into  a  valuable  farm.  He  reared  his 
entire  family  upon  that  place,  and  became  a 


very  wealthy  farmer.  He  died  there  about  the 
year  1855.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents 
of  the  following  children  :  Eliza  ;  James ;  Nel- 
son L. ;  Byron:  Mary:  Jane:  Nancy;  Hannah; 
and  John.  In  religious  belief,  they  were 
Methodists.  Mrs.  Watson  died  about  i860, 
aged   seventy-seven  years. 

The  mind  of  Nelson  L.  Wat.son  was  culti- 
vated in  the  public  schools  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
at  the  age  of  nineteen  years  he  began  teaching 
school.  He  taught  for  several  years,  and  then 
entered  a  theological  school  and  became  a  Meth- 
odist minister,  belonging  to  the  Pittsburg  con- 
ference. He  preached  until  1854,  when  he  re- 
linquished the  work  on  account  of  the  failure  of 
his  voice.  He  had  taken  up  the  stuily  of  medi- 
cine and  graduated  a  year  or  two  previous  to 
abandoning  the  ministry,  and  on  the  cessation 
of  his  pastoral  labors  he  practiced  medicine  for 
about  two  years,  l^pon  recovering  the  full  use 
of  his  \-nice.  he  returned  to  preaching  and  thus 
continued  several  years.  He  next  became  in- 
terested in  the  grain  business  in  De  Kalb  coun- 
ty, Illinois,  where  he  remained  until  1871,  and 
tHen  removed  to  Kansas  with  his  family.  He 
acquired  the  property  on  which  his  famil}'  now 
resides,  consisting  of  160  acres  in  section  34, 
Greeley  township,  Sedgwick  county.  There  he 
industriously  followed  the  occupation  of  farm- 
ing, until  his  death.  February  2,  1897.  He 
lived  a  liuig  and  useful  life,  and  was  lield  in 
the  highest  esteem  by  all.  Pie  was  an  excellent 
farmer  and  an  extensive  stock  raiser,  being 
unqualifiedly  successful  in  his  work. 

Mr.  Watson  was  united  in  marriage,  in  1859, 
with  Mary  E.  Dale,  a  daughter  of  Frank  and 


310 


BIOGRAPHICAL  KECOKl) 


Maria  (  Webster)  Dale,  both  natives  of  Eng- 
land. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Watson  became  the 
parents  t)i  the  lollowinjj  children :  Kate. 
Charles  S. ,  Frank  J. .  Rob't  D. .  Ella  M. ,  and  one 
who  died  in  infancy.  Kate  married  Henry 
Johnson,  of  Sherman  township,  Sedgwick 
county,  and  six  children  were  born  to  them: 
Maude  E..  deceased;  Claudia,  deceased: 
Charles  X.;  I'red  M.:  Sidney  R. ;  and 
Herman  E.  Charles  S.  married  Mary  H.  Har- 
rover,  and  they  have  two  children,  Frank  N. 
and  Stewart  A.  Frank  J.  is  deceased.  Robert 
D.  married  Fannie  M.  Wedge,  and  tliey  have  a 
daughter.  Hazel  Mary.  Ella  M.  married  Her- 
man B.  Tihen.  M.  D..  of  Andale,  Sedgwick 
county,  and  they  have  two  children.  Henry  N. 
and  Irene  B.  Religiously,  the  family  are  de- 
vout IMethodists.  Mrs.  Watson  still  resides  on 
the  old  home  ])roperty  in  Greeley  township. 
where  she  is  surmunded  by  a  host  of  friends  of 
long  vears"  standing. 


110M-\S  J.  WIELIAMS,  one  of 
Greeley  township's  most  enterprising 
and  pul)lic  spirited  farmers,  owns  i6o 
acres  of  \alual)le  land  in  section  12.  of  that 
township,  in  Sedgwick  county.  Kansas.  He 
was  born  Ajiril  3,  1863,  in  Inxjuois  county, 
Illinois,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Wil- 
liams) Williams,  both  natives  of  England. 

jiibn  Williams,  father  of  Thomas  J.,  was 
born  in  .Monmouthshire,  lingland.  April  9. 
1S37.  After  his  marriage,  May  29,  1857.  he 
left  his  wife  in  England  and  came  to  America 
with  his  brother,  Thomas,  thinking  he  might 


better  his  condition.  He  lan<led  in  Xew  York 
City  whence  he  went  west,  to  Chicago,  and 
from  there  to  Du  Page  county,  Illinois.  He 
shortly  after  removed  to  Iroquois  county,  Illi- 
nois, where  he  remained  until  1873,  having  sent 
for  iiis  wife  in  the  menntinie.  1  le  followeil  the 
occupation  ni  a  farmer,  and  in  1873  remo\ed 
to  Kansas,  where  he  li\ed  a  short  time  in  the 
city  of  Wichita.  He  then  settled  in  Eagle 
township,  Sedgwick  county,  preempting  the 
southeast  quarter  of  section  18.  In  1875.  '^^ 
took  u])  the  southwest  cfuarter  of  the  same  sec- 
tion, under  the  homestead  law.  and  lived  there 
during  the  following  six  years.  In  1881,  he 
moved  to  the  northeast  quarter  of  the  section, 
and  is  the  heaviest  taxpayer  in  the  township. 
He  deals  extensiveh'  in  cattle  and  horses,  and 
is  one  of  the  influential  men  of  his  part  of 
the  county.  His  union  with  ]\Iary  \\'illiams, 
a  daughter  of  Edward  and  Ann  (  Edwards) 
Williams,  both  natives  of  England,  resulted  in 
the.  birth  of  five  children  :  John  E. :  Thomas  J. ; 
William  F..  George  G.,  and  Charles  E.  The 
family,  in  religious  faith,  are  members  of  the 
Christian  church.  Politically.  Mr.  Williams 
is  a  steadfast  Republican. 

Thomas  J.  Williams  moved  with  his  parents 
to  Kansas,  and  was  reared  on  the  farm.  He  re- 
mained at  home  until  his  marriage,  in  1891, 
when  he  located  on  his  present  property,  which 
consists  of  160  acres  in  section  12.  and  80 
acres  in  .section  7.  Eagle  township.  Plis  (irop- 
erty  adjoins  that  of  his  father,  and  is  \ery 
valuable  land.  He  devotes  it  to  general  farm- 
ing and  stock  raising,  and  keeps  it  in  excellent 
condition  from  one  end  to  the  other. 


fvRY 


Ustor,  Lenox  airt  T*leny 


SAMUEL  M.  SARGENT. 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


313 


In  1 89 1,  Mr.  Williams  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Nellie  Taylor,  a  dauglUer  nf  L.  ( i. 
Taylor,  a  pniniinent  farmer  nf  ( Ireeley  town- 
ship, and  they  are  ]>;irents  of  three  ehildreii : 
Mary  L. ;  Laura  A,,  and  Cliarles  A.  Mrs. 
Williams  is  a  niemlier  nf  the  Baptist  chureh. 
In  pnlitieal  action.  Mr,  \\'illiams  is  a  stin-dy 
sujiporter  of  the  Uepnhlican  party. 


AMUEL  M.  SARGENT,  an  active 
young  business  man  of  Wichita,  Kan- 
sas, whose  portrait  is  shown  on  the 
foregoing  page,  has  gained  considerahle  prom- 
inence as  an  attorney-at-law  before  the  courts 
of  that  city  and  is  a  gentleman  of  polished  man- 
ners and  truly  estimal)le  reputation.  He  was 
born  at  Lincoln,  Illinois,  Januar}'  23,  1874,  and 
is  a  son  of  Samuel  Sargent,  who  was  a  very 
])rominent  and  successful  pliysician  and  surgeon 
of  that  place.  Samuel  Sargent,  upon  retiring 
from  the  practice  of  medicine,  moved  to 
Wichita  in  1892,  and  while  there  dealt  exten- 
sively in  real  estate.  His  death  occurred  in 
February.  1898.  Our  subject  has  two  sisters 
and  a  brother,  namely:  Mary  and  Julia,  twins, 
and  Algernon  M.,  who  is  a  prominent  physician 
of  Lincoln,  Illinois. 

Samuel  M.  Sargent,  upon  leaving  the  public 
schools,  entered  tlie  university  at  Lincoln.  Illi- 
nois, and  upon  his  graduation  from  that  institu- 
tion became  a  student  at  the  Kent  Colleg'e  of 
Law  at  Chicago,  Illinois.  He  was  graduated  in 
1895,  ^"^  foi'  tlie  following  two  years  practiced 
there.     In  1897,  he  removed  to  W^ichita,  Kan- 


sas, where  he  opened  an  office  in  the  Zimmerly 
r.lock.  in  1900,  he  moved  bis  office  to  rooms 
Nos.  T,()  and  _:;_'.  I'.itting  P.lock.  He  has  built 
U])  a  fine  jjractice,  considering  the  fact  that  he 
has  been  in  the  field  but  three  years.  Mr. 
Sargent  is  an  energetic  and  bustling  business 
man  and  takes  much  interest  in  the  welfare  of 
his  adoplud  community.  He  has  many  intimate 
ac(|uaintances  and  friends  who  know  him  to  be 
honest  and  upright  in  all  that  he  does. 

Mr.  Sargent  was  united  in  the  bonds  of  mat- 
rimony with  Mary  Crowley,  a  daughter  of 
Jeremiah  Crowley,  of  Chicago,  Illinois,  and 
their  home  has  been  blessed  by  the  birth  of  one 
child,  Virginia.  Their  home,  which  is  on  Col- 
lege Hill,  was  built  by  Mr.  Sargent. 


oj  ENJAMIN  C.  SMITH,  dcceaseil. 
^j  was  for  many  years  a  prominent  and 
infiuential  farmer  of  Greeley  town- 
ship, Sedgwick  county,  Kansas.  He  was  born 
November  8,  1838,  in  Muskingum  county, 
Ohio,  and  was  a  son  of  David  G.  and  Mary 
(Johnson)  Siuith,  both  of  whom  were  natives 
of  Ohio. 

David  G.  Smith  was  born  January  17.  181 1, 
received  his  early  mental  training  in  the  sub- 
scription schools  of  Ohio,  and  when  a  young 
man  applied  himself  to  agricultural  i)ursuits. 
In  1844.  be  mo\x'd  to  Huntington  count}-,  In- 
diana, where  he  was  one  of  the  ]>ioneer  settlers, 
reclaiming  a  farm  from  the  wilderness.  This 
he  cleared  and  cultivated  until  the  time  of  his 
death,  when  it  had  developed  into  one  of  the 


314 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECOKU 


finest  farms  in  llic  CMimty.  Mr.  Smith  and 
his  wife  were  tiie  parents  <if  the  following 
children:  Thomas  j.:  I'enjamin  C.  deceased; 
Mary  E. :  Isaac  A.;  and  Martha  !•:.  I'.otli  he 
and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Baptist 
Missionary  elnneh. 

llenjamin  C.  Smith,  after  ac(|niring  a  good 
conimoii  school  e(hication,  continued  to  reside 
on  the  home  farm  until  he  was  twenty-three 
years  of  age.  When  the  L"i\  il  War  Ijroke  out, 
he  responded  to  the  call  and  in  1861  enlisted  in 
Company  II.  47th  Reg.,  Ind.  \'ol.  Inf..  and 
participated  in  nnmenms  important  hattlcs  and 
skirmislies.  His  health  having  been  under- 
mined l)y  the  extreme  hardships  to  which  he 
was  exposed,  he  was  discharged  jjccause  of  dis- 
al)ility,  in  May,  1863.  and  returned  to  his  home 
in  Indiana.  1  le  remained  there  for  two  years, 
and  then  left  for  W;ipello  county,  loua.  where 
he  lived  four  years.  There  he  was  united  in 
matrimony  with  Mary  M.  Linn,  a  daughter  of 
James  and  Mary  (Webb)  Linn,  her  father  be- 
ing a  native  of  Virginia,  and  her  mother,  of 
Ohio.  In  October.  1869.  Mr.  Smith  removed 
to  Sedgwick  county,  Kansas,  and  settled  upon 
160  acres  in  dreeley  towiishij).  Me  also  pre- 
empted 160  acres  in  Eagle  township.  He  was 
a  \ery  industrious  man  and  a  careful  inanager, 
and  at  the  lime  of  his  death  was  ixissessed  of 
480  acres  of  land,  .and  was  in  comfortable  cir- 
cumstances. 

Mr.  .Smith  .and  his  f.aithful  wife  liecaiue  the 
parents  of  three  children,  as  follows:  .\ltis 
Claude,  born  October  28.  1874;  David  E..  born 
May  19,  1877;  and  Wadie  G.,  born  September 
30,  1880.    In  political  belief,  the  subject  of  this 


sketch  was  a  stanch  Reinibhcim.  ;ind  held 
numerous  townslii[)  offices,  ser\ing  for  a  time 
as  constable.  He  w;is  a  wideawake  man,  and 
very  popular  with  his  lellow  citizens. 


I'.UBEN  F.  FRITZ,  a  retired  citizen  of 

M.ai/.e.  Kansas,  made  his  fortune  after 
years  of  hard  and  constant  toil,  in 
the  vocation  of  an  agriculturist.  As  he  was  not 
worth  a  doll.ar  when  he  started  oiU  in  life,  he  is 
to  be  accounted  one  of  the  wholly  self  made 
men  of  Sedgwick  county.  He  was  born  in 
Kutztown,  Berks  county.  Pennsylv.ania,  in  Oc- 
tober, 1838,  and  is  a  son  of  Jonas  and  Sarah 
(Early)  Fritz. 

[onas  I'ritz  operated  a  powder  mill  during 
his  earlv  life,  but  subsequently  carried  on  fariu- 
ing.  He  died  in  1892.  aged  eighty-five  years, 
his  wife  having  died  in  1886.  They  had  the 
following  children  :  David,  deceased  ;  Jonas, 
deceased;  Daniel,  who  lives  in  Carbon  county, 
Pennsylvania  :  Charles  and  Sarah,  who  also  li\-e 
in  that  county:  Catherine,  who  lives  in  Shamo- 
kin.  Pennsylvania:  .\mon.  who  is  a  farmer  in 
Park  townshi]).  .Sedgwick  county:  Reuben  F. ; 
and  Samuel,  of  Ashlantl.  Pennsylvani;i. 

Reuben  V.  Fritz  was  but  a  year  old  when  his 
])arents  mosed  to  Carbon  count}'.  I'ennsyKania, 
and  there  he  obl.ained  his  early  scliooling  and 
li\ed  for  many  years.  I  le  was  engaged  a  short 
tiiue  in  farming  there,  but  on  his  way  westw ard 
he  spent  two  years  in  Stark  county,  Illinois, 
where  he  continued  in  the  same  occupation  un- 
til he  went  to  Neosho  county,  Kansas,  in  1871, 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


315 


where  he  rented  a  farm  for  two  years.  From 
Neosho  county  lie  moved  to  Sedgwick  county, 
where  lie  rented  the  southwest  (|uarter  of  sec- 
tion 21,  Park  township.  As  liis  etTorts  were 
quite  successful,  in  the  spring  of  1875  '^^ 
bought  the  west  half  of  the  southwest  quarter 
of  section  17,  Park  township,  the  name  of  the 
township  being  originally  Laiion.  This  prop- 
erty he  purchased  from  the  railroad  company 
and,  as  it  had  no  imprn\ements  whate\'er,  many 
years  of  hard  labor  were  required  to  get  it  into 
a  fine  state  of  cultivation.  Mr.  Fritz  was  fav- 
ored with  bountiful  crops  and  was  soon  able  to 
buy  more  land.  In  1882  he  accordingly  added 
to  his  possessions  the  east  half  of  the  northeast 
quarter  of  section  21,  Park  township.  In  1884, 
he  purchased  the  east  half  of  the  northwest 
quarter  of  section  17,  known  as  the  Shaver 
place,  a  part  of  which  he  has  given  to  his  son. 
In  1894,  he  bought  of  A.  Kessler  the  west  half 
of  the  northeast  (|uarter  of  section  17  ;  although 
the  land  contained  some  improvements,  there 
were  no  buildings  on  it.  In  1898,  Mr.  Fritz 
bought  from  J.  C.  Major  the  north  half  of  the 
northwest  quarter  of  section  20.  Park  town- 
ship. In  1897.  he  bnught  a  home  in  the  village 
of  Maize,  where  he  is  now  spending  his  last 
days  and  where  he  also  owns  considerable  real 
estate,  comprising  another  fine  house,  eight  lots, 
and  10  acres  just  east  of  the  railroad  right  of 
way.  Mr.  Fritz  is  well  acquainted  throughout 
Sedgwick  county,  where  he  is  known  as  an  hon- 
est and  straightforward  lousiness  man  and  citi- 
zen. 

July  4,  1859,  he  was  joined  in  marriage  with 
Elizabeth  Atkinson,  of  Carbon  county,  Penn- 


sylvania, and  they  have  the  following  children : 
Daniel,  who  is  a  farmer  in  Park  township; 
Frank,  who  is  also  engaged  in  farming  there, 
and  who  marrieil  Dora  Spitler,  by  whom  he 
has  two  sons,  Clarence  and  Paul ;  Emma,  who 
died  in  June,  1898,  aged  thirty-three  years,  was 
the  wife  of  M.  E.  Riley,  who  died  in  1899,  leav- 
ing si.x  children,  Maude,  Maggie,  Minnie, 
Charles,  Fritz  and  Irene;  Andrew,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  nineteen  years;  Sallie,  who  is  the 
wife  of  Charles  Siever,  a  grain  buyer  at  Maize, 
Kansas,  and  who  has  two  children,  Vernon  and 
Jessie;  Charles,  who  li\es  on  the  old  home- 
stead and  wedded  Blanche  Spitler,  by  whom 
he  has  a  son.  Roy;  and  Lettie  B.,  who  died  in 
infancy.  Mr.  Fritz  is  a  strong  Republican,  and 
has  served  as  road  overseer  and  on  the  school 
board.  Religiously,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Con- 
gregational church,  of  which  he  is  also  treasurer 
and  a  trustee. 


/gy*^  FORGE  LONG  COPELAND,  an 
\  51"  industrious  farmer  of  Greeley  town- 
ship, Sedgwick  county,  Kansas,  owns 
what  is  known  as  the  F.  G.  Rawson  farm  of 
160  acres, — the  southwest  quarter  of  section  21. 
lie  was  born  in  W'apella,  De  W^itt  county,  Illi- 
nois, December  i,^.  i860  and  is  a  son  of  Milton 
N.  and  Zerilda  (Long)  Copeland. 

Nicholas  Copeland,  great-grandfather  of  the 
gentleman  to  wlioni  this  sketch  pertains,  was 
a  native  of  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  and  his 
son  Hiram  Copeland,  grandfather  of  George 
Long"  Copeland,  was  born  in  Tennessee.  Hiram 
Copeland  was  the  father  of  seven  sons.     Mil- 


316 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


ton  N.  Copelaiul  was  iKini  in  Ohio,  August  i6. 
1825.  and  at  an  early  age  learned  the  trade  of 
a  blacksmitli  and  wlieelwright.  in  Cincinnati, 
Oliio.  He  followed  it  there  for  some  time  and 
then  moved  to  Iowa,  where  he  purchased  land 
and  engaged  in  farming.  Disposing  of  his 
property,  he  moved  to  Monmouth,  Illinois,  and 
bought  another  farm,  which  he  subsequently 
sold,  and  moved  to  W'apella.  Illinois.  There 
he  followed  his  trade  until  August,  1862,  when 
he  enlisted  in  Company  A.  107th  Reg.  111.  Vol. 
Inf..  in  the  23d  .\rmy  Corps,  under  General 
Burnside.  He  afterward  served  under  General 
McPherson,  and  finally  under  General  Sher- 
man. He  received  an  honorable  discharge  in 
June,  1865,  immediately  returned  home,  and 
followed  his  trade  at  Wajielia  until  1874.  In 
January  of  that  year  he  moved  to  Wichita.  Kan- 
sas and  opened  a  sliop  where  the  Fourth  Na- 
tional Bank  now  stands,  on  the  corner  of  Mar- 
ket and  Douglas  streets.  He  remained  there 
imtil  1876,  wlien  he  went  to  Sumner  township. 
Reno  county,  and  homesteaded  160  acres,  which 
is  now  owned  liy  his  son.  Cornelius  B.  Cope- 
land.  There  he  opened  a  shop  and  followed 
his  trade  until  1880.  after  which  he  devoted  his 
efforts  exclusively  to  farming.  He  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Zerilda  Long,  a  daughter  of 
John  Long,  and  they  became  the  parents  of 
six  children:  Cecelia,  who  died  in  infancy: 
Carrie,  deceased,  who  married  Robert  S.  Cook, 
and  had  three  children, — Charles  E.,  Blanche 
C,  and  Elmer;  Fannie,  who  first  married  L.  B. 
Wenger,  and  after  his  death  wedded  Roljert  S. 
Cook ;  Ella,  who  died  at  the  age  of  ten  years ; 
George  F. ;  and  Cornelius  B.     Religiously,  they 


were  Presbyterians.  Fraternally,  Milton  N. 
Copeland  was  a  prominent  Mason  and  Odd  Fel- 
low, and  was  once  chosen  as  delegate  to  the 
grand  lodge.  He  died  November  20,  1897, 
and  his  tleath  was  universally  mourned  in  his 
community.  His  widow  was  b(irn  in  Ohio,  in 
December,  1825,  and  is  still  living. 

George  Long  Copeland  received  his  intel- 
lectual training  in  the  public  schools  of  Illinois 
and  Kansas,  and  when  a  boy  herded  cattle  for 
Judge  Fisher.  He  then  accepted  a  position  with 
the  Western  Union  Telegraph  Company  as 
messenger  boy  and  held  it  for  three  months, 
after  which  he  learned  the  trade  of  a  black- 
smith. He  moved  with  his  parents  to  Reno 
county,  Kansas,  and  lived  there  until  his  mar- 
riage. He  had  preempted  75  acres  of  land 
which  he  cultivated  until  two  years  after  his 
marriage,  when,  in  the  fall  of  1888,  he  sold  out 
and  moved  back  to  Edgar  county.  Illinois. 
There  he  rented  property  imtil  the  fall  of  1898, 
when  he  returned  to  Kansas  and  settled  upon 
his  present  property  in  Greeley  township,  Sedg- 
wick county.  He  is  engaged  in  general  farm- 
ing, is  an  industrious  and  efificient  manager,  and 
has  met  with  good  results. 

In  1885,  George  L.  Copeland  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Mary  Ann  Winans,  a  daughter 
(if  lohn  G.  and  Ann  E.  Winans,  the  former  a 
native  of  New  Jersey,  and  the  latter  of  Ohio. 
They  are  the  parents  of  six  children :  Ralph 
E. ;  Floyd  W. ;  John  M. ;  Blanche ;  Edith ;  and 
Esther.  In  religious  views.  Mrs.  Copeland 
favors  the  Methodist  church.  Politically,  Mr. 
Copeland  is  a  Republican. 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


317 


(jTRA  M.  bishop  is  a  well  known  farmer  of 
Hi  Sedgwick  county,  Kansas,  where  lie  is  the 
owner  of  i6o  acres  of  land  in  section  28. 
range  3,  west,  in  Greeley  township.  He  was 
horn  in  Allen  county,  Indiana,  October  9,  1854, 
and  is  a  son  of  Freeman  S.  and  Catherine 
(  Wiseman)  Bishop. 

Henry  Bishop,  grandfather  of  Ira  M.,  was 
a  resident  of  Alorgan  county,  Ohio,  and  owned 
considerable  land  in  that  county.  He  was  a 
\ery  prosperous  farmer,  and  besides  large 
landed  possessions,  had  considerable  money  out 
on  interest.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents 
of  the  following  children  :  Freeman  S. ;  John  ; 
Joseph ;  Betsy ;  and  Ann.  Religiously,  they 
were  members  of  the  M.  E.  church. 

Freeman  S.  Bishop  was  born  and  reared  in 
Ashland  county,  Ohio,  and  there  received  his 
intellectual  training.  He  remained  at  home 
until  after  his  marriage,  and  subsequently  pur- 
chased a  farm  in  Indiana,  which  he  cultivated 
until  1878.  He  then  moved  to  Sterling,  Rice 
county,  Kansas,  where  he  has  since  resided. 
He  purchased  a  farm  and  tilled  it  until  1897, 
when  he  sold  out  and  retired  to  Sterling,  where 
he  is  surrounded  by  a  host  of  friends  of  many 
years'  standing.  He  and  his  wife  became  the 
parents  of  the  following  children :  Mary  M. ; 
Armena;  Henry  C. ;  Ira  M. ;  Lydia  J. ;  Emma ; 
Warden;  Freeman  A.;  and  ^Villiam  E.  and 
Anna,  twins.  The  mother  died  January  14, 
1 90 1,  aged  seventy-six  years.  She  was  a  faith- 
ful member  of  the  M.  E.  church  (as  is  also 
Freeman  S.  Bishop)  for  fifty-two  years. 

Ira  M.  Bishop  studied  in  the  common  schools 
of   Indiana   and   remained   at   home   until   he 


reached  the  age  of  twenty-three  years.  He 
then  moved  to  Kansas  and  settled  in  Rice  coun- 
ty, where  he  homesteaded  80  acres  of  land, 
which  he  subsequently  sold.  He  then  pur- 
chased a  f;irm  in  the  same  county,  which  he 
sold  a  year  afterward,  and  in  the  fall  of  1880 
bought  another,  in  Greeley  township,  Sedgwick 
county.  Upon  this  property  he  lived  eleven 
years.  In  1892,  he  purchased  his  present  farm 
in  section  28,  Greeley  township,  where  he  has 
since  resided.  He  devotes  his  land  to  general 
farming  and  stock  raising,  and  sells  over  100 
head  of  hogs  per  year. 

August  26,  1877,  Mr.  Bishop  was  united  in 
matrimony  with  Emily  A.  Reasoner,  a  daughter 
of  Daniel  Reasoner,  of  De  Kalb  county,  Indi- 
ana, and  their  union  was  productive  of  eight 
children,  four  of  whom  are  now  li^'ing  as  fol- 
lows :  Myrtle  E. ;  Leora  B. ;  Archie ;  and  Roy 
S.  Those  deceased  are :  Ada  M. ;  Arthur ; 
Bodie;  and  Peter.  Religiously,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Bishop  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church.  In  politics,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  is  a  Republican. 


"J^OSIAH  SCOTT,  an  old  and  highly  re- 
spected citizen  of  Sedgwick  county,  Kan- 
sas, is  spending  his  latter  years  in  retire- 
ment, enjoying  the  fruits  of  his  early  toil.  He 
has  aljly  jjerformed  his  share  of  tlie  work  of 
making  Sedgwick  county  one  of  tlie  best  agri- 
cultural counties  in  the  state  of  Kansas.  He 
was  born  in  Cumberland  township,  Greene 
county.  Pennsylvania,  on  February  28,  1821, 
and  is  a  son  of  Abraham  Scott. 


318 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


Aliraliani  Scutt  was  l)nrii  on  the  ocean,  mid- 
way Iietween  Scotlaiul  and  tlie  United  States — 
the  date  of  his  I)irtli  heing  Angiist  12,  1752. 
He  was  a  lilacksniitli  by  trade  and  followed  this 
occupation  in  Baltimore  county.  Maryland,  for 
many  years.  While  working  at  thai  trade,  he 
had  the  misfortune  to  lose  the  sight  of  one  of 
his  eyes.  .\braham  Scott  served  twelve 
months  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  From 
Maryland,  he  moved  to  (jreene  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, where  he  bought  200  acres  of  land 
and  carried  on  farming  until  his  deatli.  at  the 
age  of  ninety-five  years,  lie  was  married  to 
Miss  Kersinger.  whose  parents  were  born  in 
Ireland,  and  had  a  family  of  12  children. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Scott  had  three  children,  named 
as  follows:  Nancy,  who  died  single;  Samuel, 
who  married  Susan  Morris,  now  deceased,  lived 
in  Illinois  for  many  years,  hut  died  at  Trenton. 
Missouri ;  and  Josiah,  who  is  the  youngest. 

Josiah  Scott  attended  the  early  schools  of  his 
native  place,  and  during  his  parents'  last  days 
managed  the  old  homestead ;  but  in  later  years 
he  sold  the  farm  and  purchased  100  acres  on  the 
Monongahela  River,  in  the  same  county. 
There  he  lived  eighteen  months,  and  then  sold 
out  and  moved  to  La  Salle  county.  Illinois.  In 
1 87 1,  he  moved  further  west,  to  Sedgwick 
county.  Kansas,  where  he  arrived  on  the  second 
day  of  .\])ri!.  lie  settled  on  a  piece  of  land, 
which.  ;ifter  being  surveyed,  constituted  the 
northeast  quarter  of  section  22.  townsliip  26, 
range  i,  west.  His  neighbors  at  that  time  were 
Dr.  Burrows.  Mr.  Becker,  M.  Jewett,  John  R. 
Foster  and  John  Clark. — all  of  whom  lived  in 
the  same  townsliip  in  which    Mr.  Scott    had 


located.  Shortly  after  purchasing  the  property, 
he  built  a  liouse.  and  at  the  outset  broke  about 
40  acres  of  land,  with  two  yoke  of  cattle  pur- 
chased by  hiiu  when  he  moved  on  the  place.  He 
put  in  considerable  corn,  and  the  same  year 
rai.sed  o\er  800  busiiels  of  wheat.  Me  also 
set  out  an  orchard  and  broke  many  more  acres 
of  land,  in  1S74,  he  sold  his  farm  to  L.  B. 
Dobson.  At  the  time  of  sale,  it  contained  a 
good  house,  16  by  24  feet  in  dimensions.  Re- 
turning to  La  Salle  county,  Illinois,  he  followed 
the  trade  of  a  wagonmaker  until  1878.  In  that 
year  he  returned  to  Sedgwick  county,  where  he 
at  first  worked  for  John  R.  Foster  and  L.  B. 
Dobson.  He  then  rented  22  acres  in  section  16, 
Park  township,  and  a  year  later  bought  160 
acres  in  the  same  section.  Of  this  land,  he 
broke  the  west  80  acres,  of  which  38  acres 
were  sowed  in  wheat.  As  the  land  yielded 
nearly  30  bushels  to  the  acre,  he  raised  enough 
wheat  with  a  single  crop  to  pay  for  his  farm, 
the  price  of  wheat  that  year  being  $1  per  bushel. 
Mr.  Scott  ne.xt  bought  the  southwest  quarter  of 
section  16,  Park  township,  for  a  consideration 
of  $goo.  Besides  raising  much  grain  of  all 
kinds,  he  takes  considerable  interest  in  the  rais- 
ing of  cattle,  and  makes  a  specialty  of  Shorthorn 
stock.  He  has  had  as  many  as  65  thoroughbred 
cattle  at  a  time.  Mr.  Scott  enjoys  a  wide  ac- 
(|uaintancc  throughout  the  community,  and 
although  nearing  the  eightieth  milestone  in  life 
be  is  still  a  hale  and  hearty  man.  His  many 
friends  recognize  his  sterling  qualities,  and  hold 
him  in  high  esteem  and  respect. 

Mr.  Scott  has  been  thrice  married.     His  first 
wife  was  Rebecca  Morris,  of  Greene  county. 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


319 


Pennsylvania.  Upon  lier  death,  lie  wedded 
Alice  Hedges,  of  Pleasant  View,  Pennslyvania, 
and  to  them  were  born  the  following  children: 
Le  Roy  W.,  a  farmer  and  cattle  dealer,  of  Park 
township,  Sedgwick  county,  who  married  Car" 
rie  Taylor,  and  has  fi\e  children.  Basil,  Vera, 
Ray,  Earl  and  Catherine:  Morris  B.,  who  lives 
with  his  father:  Nellie,  who  is  the  wife  of  John 
A.  Hargrove,  of  Carroll  county,  Arkansas,  and 
has  four  children,  Levoka  and  Laura,  twins. 
Lulu,  and  Roy  Woods ;  and  Sarah  Isabella,  who 
lives  at  home.  Mr.  Scott's  third  marriage  was 
with  Mrs.  Catherine  (  Fullerton  )  Dobson,  \\  ho 
died  in  Du  Page  county,  Illinois,  in  1870.  l^i- 
iitically,  Mr.  Scott  has  always  been  a  Republi- 
can and  has  served  two  terms  as  justice  of  the 
peace.  In  religious  views,  he  is  a  member  of 
the  United  Brethren  church,  of  Maize,  Kansas. 


ALLACE  A.  RALPH,  a  prominent 
and  successful  farmer  of  Sedgwick 
county,  Kansas,  was  the  first  settler  to 
take  up  a  claim  in  Illinois  township,  and  he  has 
since  continued  to  reside  there,  where  he  is 
regarded  as  one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  that 
district.  His  home  is  located  on  the  north- 
west quarter  of  section  3.  He  was  born  No- 
vember 30,  1833,  in  Wind.sor  county,  Vermont, 
and  is  a  son  of  Jonathan  and  Marcia  (Kings- 
ley)  Ralph. 

Jonathan  Ralph  was  a  carpenter  by  trade, 
but  many  years  of  his  life  were  spent  in  farm- 
ing in  the  state  of  Vermont.  He  died  in  Wind- 
sor county,  Vermont,  August  18,  1875.     ^Val- 


lace  A.  Ralph's  mother  was  born  in  Hart- 
land,  Vermont,  August  17,  1806:  her  death 
occurred  in  \'ermiint  1  in  January  22.  1884. 
They  were  the  parents  of  14  children,  who  were 
named  as  follows  :  Jonathan  F. :  M.  Aurelius; 
^^'aIlace  A.:  Lavinia  M.;  Mary  R. ;  Frederick 
O.,  deceased:  William  ilenry;  George  W. ; 
Clarissa  A.;  Lucia  M.,  deceased;  Jerome  K. ; 
Veronia  M.,  deceased:  W'infield  Scott,  de- 
ceased: and  Clarence  S.,  ileceased.  All  of  the 
children  received  good  common  school  educa- 
tions and  all  attended  academies. 

\\'allace  -V.  Ralph  remained  at  home  and  at- 
tended the  pulilic  scIkjoIs  until  he  attained  the 
age  of  twenty  years,  and  then,  with  his  brother, 
M.  Aurelius,  went  to  Winterset,  Madison  coun- 
ty, Iowa,  where  they  engaged  in  the  nursery 
business.  They  also  carrietl  on  farming  to 
some  extent,  but,  after  they  had  been  there 
eighteen  montlis  they  moved  further  west, — to 
Bellevue,  Sarpy  county.  Nebraska,  and  tliere 
took  up  a  piece  of  government  land.  They  con- 
tinued to  follow  the  nursery  business  in  that 
locality  and  also  engaged  in  farming  for  a  peri- 
od of  tweh-e  years.  Thence  tliey  mm-ed  to  So- 
nora,  California,  where  the  former  devoted  him- 
self to  farming  and  lumliering-,  and  the  latter 
taught  school.  Wallace  A.  Ralph  lived  there 
five  years,  M.  Aurelius  remaining  ten  years.  On 
May  I,  1872,  the  former  took  up  his  jiresent 
claim  in  Illinois  township.  For  two  months  he 
lived  in  a  covered  wagon  Init  later  built  a  small 
frame  house,  in  which  he  lived  until  he  erected 
his  present  home.  The  first  year  he  broke  80 
acres,  which  he  planted  in  corn,  and  by  hard 
work  soon  succeeded  in  getting  his  whole  farm 


320 


BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD 


under  cultixation.  W'hh  <:;nni\  ito])s.  he  was 
Soon  al)lc  til  purchase  imiro  laml,  and  linuglit 
auotlicr  (juartcr  scclinu.  in  sectidu  3. 

Wallace  A.  and  M.  Aurelius  Kalpli  liave 
always  worked  taitlitully  tnjjetlier,  and  anicmi;' 
their  fellow  citizens  of  this  conntv  are  esteemed 
as  honest  and  u]>ris:;ht  farmers  and  citizens. 
They  have  lihorcd  hard  to  nirdvc  their  farm 
one  of  the  iiest  in  the  county,  and  ha\e  suc- 
ceeded only  after  endnriuL;'  many  hardships. 
I'hey  h;i\e  a  fine  orchard,  which  yields  ahund- 
ant  fruit,  and  they  are  large  grain  and  stock 
raisers.  While  in  California.  M.  Aurelius  Ralph 
was  a  member  of  the  hoard  of  examiners  of 
school  teachers  for  si.K  }ears,  and  also  spent 
some  time  as  a  surveyor  of  mineral  claims. 

Politically,  both  Wallace  .\.  and  M.  .\urelius 
vote  the  Populist  ticket,  but  neither  has  aspired 
to  office. 


(9 


1^1"  ENRY  DUGAX,  a  descendant  of  sturdy 
Irish  stock,  is  one  of  the  pioneers  and 
leading  farmers  of  Sedgwick  county, 
Kansas,  where  he  has  l)een  a  resident  since 
May  27,  1872.  lie  is  well  worthy  of  the 
esteem  in  which  he  is  held  by  his  large  circle 
of  acquaintances  throughout  the  county.  He 
was  born  in  Ireland,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and 
Catherine  (Garring)  Dugan.  His  father  died, 
in  1846,  in  his  native  country,  in  County  Clare. 
After  her  hu.sband's  death.  Mrs.  Dugan,  with 
her  two  children,  came  to  this  country,  where 
she  died  in  1892.  Henry  Dugan  has  a  brother, 
John,  who  is  in  the  livery  bu.siness  in  Camden, 
Xew  Jersey,  and  married  Ainia  Jones. 


Henry  Dugan  located  in  Salem  county.  New 
Jersey,  in  1S48.  where  he  s])ent  several  years 
engaged  in  farming.  1  le  then  w  ent  to  Camden, 
New  Jersey,  and  was  engaged  in  the  express 
and  jobbing  business,  which  was  his  occupation 
for  about  fi\'e  years.  In  1S7J.  he  nifived  west, 
to  Kansas,  where  he  at  once  .settled  on  a  tract 
of  land  in  Illinois  town.shi]),  Sedgwick  county, 
which  comprises  a  c|uarter  of  section  2,  range  2, 
west.  The  land  was  Init  raw  prairie  at  that 
time:  but  during  the  nine  years  be  occujiied  the 
property  he  succeeded  in  transforming  it  into 
a  fine  farm,  not  only  erecting  fine  buildings  on 
it,  but  developing  a  high  state  of  cultivation. 
In  1 88 1,  he  sold  that  farm  and  in  the  following 
year  purchased  his  present  property,  which  was 
known  as  the  Thomas  McCarthy  homestead. 
It  consists  of  160  acres  in  Delano  township,  and 
as  it  contained  no  improvements  Mr.  Dugan 
was  obliged  to  repeat  the  same  hard  task  which 
he  performed  on  his  first  purchase.  By  arduous 
toil  he  now  has  a  farm  with  fine  fertile  fields, 
yielding  each  year  large  quantities  of  com,  oats 
and  wheat. 

Mr.  Dugan  was  married  November  8,  1863, 
to  Ellen  Redmond,  who  was  born  in  Ireland, 
October  22.  1845,  ^'""^1  ^^''""^  '^  ^  daughter  of 
Nicholas  and  Margaret  (O'Toole)  Redmond. 
Her  parents  located  in  Delano  township,  Sedg- 
wick county,  in  1870,  and  were  among  the  first 
settlers  to  make  their  iKime  in  the  countv.  Her 
father  was  at  first  a  merchant,  and  later,  carried 
on  farming.  He  died  in  1896,  and  his  wife 
passed  away  in  1897.  They  were  the  parents 
of  the  following  children :  Christopher,  a 
farmer  in  Sedgwick  county;  Ellen,  the  wife  of 


\V.  H.   DVEK. 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


323 


Henry  Dugan ;  James,  who  died  aged  fifteen 
years  ;  and  Patrick,  who  tUed  in  infancy.  Henry 
Dugan  and  his  wife  are  the  parents  of  eight 
children:  Marie;  John,  who  died  aged  six 
years ;  Henry,  wlio  is  a  farmer  in  Delano  town- 
ship, wedded  Elizabeth  Gorman,  by  whom  he 
has  two  children,  Morris  and  Ellen ;  Christo- 
pher, who  died,  aged  eighteen  years;  Nicholas 
F.,  James  William,  Thomas,  and  Joseph,  who 
live  at  home.  In  politics,  Mr.  Dugan  is  a 
strong  Democrat.  Religiously,  he  and  his  fam- 
ily are  faithful  members  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
church,  of  Wichita.  Mr.  Dugan  has  always 
been  a  true  Christian  man,  and  has  given  liber- 
ally for  the  support  of  the  church,  as  well  as 
for  the  poor.  He  not  only  donated  considerable 
money  to  the  church,  but  has  also  given  20 
acres  of  land  to  the  church  and  Catholic  uni- 
versity. 


m 


H.  DYER,  whose  portrait  is  here- 
with shown,  has  resided  within  the 
borders  of  Sedgwick  county,  Kan- 
sas, since  July,  1871,  in  which  year  he  filed  a 
claim  to  his  present  property,  on  which  he  has 
since  lived,  carrying  on  general  farming  and 
dealing  extensively  in  live  stock.  He  was  born 
in  Giles  county,  Tennessee,  August  29,  1843, 
and  is  a  son  of  Joel  and  Martha  (Boshears) 
Dyer. 

Joel  Dyer  was  born  in  1808  and  died  in  1894. 
His  wife  was  born  in  1812  and  died  in  1898. 
They  were  the  parents  of  the  following  chil- 
dren :  George,  deceased  ;  Louise,  deceased ;  Eliz- 
abeth; Sarah;  John,  who  died  during  the  Civil 


War;  James,  who  was  killed  by  Indians  on 
Snlcimon  River,  in  Kansas;  W.  H.,  the  subject 
of  this  writing;  Caleb  W.,  who  lives  in  Mon- 
tague county,  Te.xas ;  Martha,  who  died  in 
Dallas,  Texas;  Frank,  who  lives  in  El  Reno, 
Oklahoma ;  La  Fayette,  who  died  in  Texas ;  and 
Winfield  Scott,  who  died  in  Florence,  Alabama, 
in  1858,  while  the  family  was  en  route  for 
Texas. 

W.  H.  Dyer  attended  the  subscription  schools 
in  Tennessee  until  1858,  when  the  family,  with 
the  exception  of  the  two  daughters  who  were 
married  moved  to  Grayson  county,  Texas, 
where  the  father  engaged  in  farming  and  the 
cattle  business.  When  the  Civil  War  broke  out 
in  1 86 1,  our  subject  became  a  private  in  com- 
pany B,  19th  Reg.,  Texas  Infantry,  in  the  Con- 
federate Army,  and  served  until  General  Lee's 
surrender.  He  served  under  generals  Price, 
Taylor  and  Churchill.  Returning  home,  he 
worked  three  years,  but  when  twenty-five  years 
of  age  rented  a  tract  of  land  and  engaged  in  the 
cattle  business.  He  also  hired  out  as  a  drover 
and  conducted  large  droves  of  Texas  cattle  over 
the  old  trail  to  Abilene,  Kansas,  each  trip  con- 
suming from  two  to  three  months ;  in  his  last 
herd,  which  crossed  the  Ninnescah  River  at 
Clearwater,  this  county,  he  had  over  3,100  head 
of  cattle.  It  was  on  one  of  these  trips  that  he 
looked  over  the  land  in  various  parts  of  the 
state  and  finally  decided  upon  his  present  loca- 
tion. In  July,  1 87 1,  he  preempted  160  acres 
in  Ohio  township,  a  half  of  which  consists  of 
the  east  half  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 31,  upon  which  he  located  his  home,  and 
the  other  half  consists  of  the  west  half  of  the 


324 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


soutlnvest  quarter  of  section  32,  both  in 
township  29,  range  i,  west.  The  kimber  to 
build  his  first  one-room  house  was  iiauled  50 
miles  from  Xewton,  Kansas;  twelve  years  later 
another  room  was  added ;  the  north  part  of  the 
present  comfortable  house  was  erected  in  1890. 
Our  subject  has  had  three  barns,  the  last  and 
present  one  having  been  completed  in  1898.  At 
first  he  was  interested  in  live  stock  to  a  large 
extent,  but  now  most  of  his  farm  is  devoted 
to  the  raising  of  wheat.  He  has  put  in  as  high 
as  450  acres  in  wheat,  and  has  had  as  high  as 
130  head  of  cattle.  In  1876,  Mr.  Dyer  bought 
60  acres,  consisting  of  a  part  of  the  northeast 
quarter  of  section  31,  for  a  consideration  of 
$200,  and  in  the  early  "eighties"  purchased  the 
balance  of  that  quarter.  His  320  acres  lie  in  the 
bottoms  near  the  Ninnescah  River  and  are 
especially  adapted  to  wheat  raising;  on  his  prop- 
erty he  has  planted  large  groves  of  trees.  His 
first  orchard,  which  consisted  of  35  acres,  was 
set  out  in  1886,  and  other  trees  were  planted 
in  1890.  He  has  some  20  varieties  of  apples 
and  other  kinds  of  fruits,  and  the  yield  from  his 
orchards  brings  to  him  quite  a  snug  income  each 
year.  He  makes  a  large  amount  of  vinegar,  but 
the  most  of  his  fruit  is  sold  to  his  customers  on 
the  ground.  Mr.  Dyer  is  one  of  the  most  sub- 
stantial and  progressive  farmers  of  Sedgwick 
county,  throughout  which  he  enjoys  a  wide  ac- 
quaintance. 

Mr.  Dyer  was  married  in  1876  to  Mary  E. 
Chambers,  a  native  of  JefTerson  county,  Indi- 
ana, and  six  children  have  blessed  their  home, 
namely:  Sydney  E.,  aged  twenty-four  years, 
who  is  farming  four  miles  north  of  his  father's 


place;  Arthur  II.,  who  lives  with  Sydney  E. ; 
Joel;  William;  Elliott,  who  died  in  1894;  and 
Xina  M.  Mr.  Dyer  is  a  strong  Democrat  and 
for  twelve  years  was  a  member  of  the  school 
board  of  district  No.  iii,  which  he  helped  to 
organize. 


T-^  HOMAS  J.  MACREDIE,  a  prosper- 
ous farmer  residing  in  section  27,  Nin- 
nescah township,  Sedgwick  county,  Kan- 
sas, is  one  of  those  enterprising  and  active  men 
who  located  in  the  county  in  the  early  days 
and  took  up  a  claim  of  land.  The  present  high 
standing  of  Sedgwick  as  an  agricultural  county 
is  due  to  just  such  men  as  he.  Mr.  Macredie  is 
a  native  of  Scotland,  having  been  born  in  the 
town  of  Paisley,  a  suburb  of  Glasgow,  in  1843. 
He  is  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Janet  (J^pp) 
Macredie,  both  natives  of  Scotland. 

Samuel  Macredie  was  a  tailor  by  trade  and 
followed  it  there  until  1852,  when  he  came  to 
this  country.  He  was  accompanied  by  his  wife, 
his  son,  Thomas  J.,  and  a  daughter,  the  other 
children  choosing  to  remain  in  their  native  land. 
Locating  near  Boston,  Massachusetts,  he  again 
began  to  follow  his  trade,  but  in  i860  moved 
to  Morris,  Grundy  county,  Illinois.  In  the  fall 
of  1872  he  joined  his  son,  Thomas  J.,  who  had 
moved  to  Sedgwick  county,  Kansas,  where  he 
settled  upon  the  north  half  of  the  southeast 
quarter  of  section  23.  upon  which  a  part  of  the 
village  of  Clearwater  is  located.  There  he 
died  in  1876. 

Thomas  J.  Macredie  spent  his  early  youth 
about  the  city  of  Boston,  where  he  received  his 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


325 


schooling;  when  lie  was  seventeen  years,  of 
age,  his  father  ni(j\'etl  to  Morris,  Illinois,  and 
during  the  seven  years  he  resided  there  also 
worked  at  the  tailor  trade.  He  then  located  in 
Morgan  county,  Illinois,  where  he  was  engaged 
in  coal  mining  until  1867,  when  he  moved  to 
Will  county,  Illinois,  and  entered  into  partner- 
ship with  William  M.  Ross,  in  the  grocery  busi- 
ness. The  partnership  existed  until  1870,  when 
Mr.  Ross  and  his  family,  Thomas  Jamieson, 
and  Thomas  J.  Macredie  located  in  Sedgwick 
county,  Kansas.  Mr.  Macredie  preempted  80 
acres  in  section  26  and  80  acres  in  section  27, 
in  Ninnescah  township,  his  farm  lying  near 
the  old  cattle  trail,  and  on  the  outskirts  of  the 
village  of  Clearwater.  Upon  the  death  of  his 
father,  he  received  80  acres  of  his  estate.  At 
first  he  lived  in  a  dug-out  and  his  first  house 
was  built  of  lumber  brought  from  Newton, 
about  25  miles  distant.  He  now  has  a  fine 
house,  good  substantial  outluiildings  and  a  barn. 
He  raises  considerable  stock,  making  a  specialty 
of  Hereford  cattle  and  Poland-China  hogs, — 
but  devoting  much  of  his  time  to  the  raising  of 
grain.  His  320  acres  are  all  well  cultivated, 
and  will  rank  among  the  best  farms  in  the 
county.  Mr.  Macredie  is  also  an  extensive  coal 
dealer,  and  also  a  buyer  of  grain,  handling  on 
an  average  from  50.000  to  60,000  bushels,  an- 
nually. 

In  1866,  Mr.  Macredie  was  joined  in  mar- 
riage with  Annie  Hynd,  whose  death  occurred 
a  few  years  later.  In  1872,  he  married  Janet 
Jamieson,  by  whom  he  had  12  children, — the 
following  five  being  the  only  survivors  :  S.  T., 
who  was  formerly  cashier  in  the  Clearwater 


Bank,  but  now  in  the  drug  business;  James  J. ; 
Agnes  R. ;  Marion  S. ;  and  Alexander  L.  Po- 
litically, Mr.  Macredie  is  a  Republican,  and 
has  held  the  following  offices  :  the  treasurership 
of  the  school  board  for  twenty-six  years ;  a 
membership  in  the  town  board ;  and  the  first 
trusteeship  of  Ninnescah  township ;  he  is  now 
clerk  of  the  town  board.  He  is  a  faithful  mem- 
ber and  deacon  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  of 
Clearwater.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a 
prominent  Mason,  and  a  member  of  the  I.  O. 
O.  F.,  and  the  A.  O.  U.  W. 


7^  HRISTOPHER  REDMOND  has  made 
I  J]       farming  his  occupation  throughout  his 

^ — ^  active  years,  and  has  attained  a  high 
degree  of  success  in  his  chosen  pursuit.  Hav- 
ing started  out  in  life  without  a  particle  of 
assistance  from  any  one,  he  is  now  the  pos- 
sessor of  a  fine  farm.  He  is  a  typical  self  made 
man,  and  is  held  in  high  esteem  by  his  many 
acquaintances  throughout  the  county.  He  is 
a  son  of  Nicholas  and  Margaret  (O'Toole) 
Redmond. 

Nicholas  Redmond  was  born  in  Kildare,  Ire- 
land, and  was  married  in  Ireland  in  1892;  he 
embarked  for  this  country  in  1864.  He  located 
in  Camden,  New  Jersey,  where  he  spent  many 
years  working  as  a'day  laborer,  and  while  there 
succeeded  in  accumulating  enough  money  to 
move  his  family  to  Kansas,  which  he  did  in 
1870.  He  died  in  1896,  and  his  wife,  in  1897. 
They  had  the  following  children  :  Christopher ; 
Ellen,  who  is  the  wife  of  Henry  Dugan,  one  of 


326 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


Sedgwick  county's  prominent  farmers;  James, 
who  died  at  tlie  age  of  fifteen  years;  and  Pat- 
rick, who  died  in  infancy. 

Christopher  Redmond  ditl  not  have  tlie  op- 
portunity to  attend  school  enjoyed  by  most 
young  people,  as  his  parents  were  in  poor  cir- 
cumstances, and  he  was  oliliged  to  go  out  and 
seek  his  own  li\'elihoo(l.  Willi  unlimited  en- 
ergy and  determination,  he  struggled  against 
many  difficulties  with  great  success,  and  as  a 
result- of  his  efforts  he  has  succeeded  in  acquir- 
ing a  fine  home  and  farm,  besides  laying  aside 
a  comforting  surplus,  .\fter  working  about 
Camden,  New  Jersey,  for  many  years,  he  went 
to  Auburn,  New  York,  in  1866,  where  he  spent 
a  year  in  farming.  In  July,  1870,  he  located 
in  Sedgw'ick  county,  Kansas,  where  he  took 
up  160  acres  of  prairie  land,  consisting  of  the 
southwest  quarter  of  section  25,  township  2^, 
range  i,  west.  He  worked  there  until  he  had 
succeeded  in  accumulating  a  sufficiency  of 
money  to  purchase,  in  1883,  70  acres  in  Delano 
township,  in  the  north  half  of  the  west  half 
of  section  36,  the  property  being  known  as  the 
Dennis  homestead.  Mr.  Redmond  has  one  of 
the  best  farms  in  the  county,  for  which  he 
deserves  much  credit ;  for  when  he  first  took  up 
the  land  it  was  but  raw  prairie  and  all  the  im- 
provements it  has  today  were  made  by  him. 

In  June.  1887,  Mr.  Redmond  was  joined  in 
marriage  with  Mary  Martin,  of  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  daughter  of  Patrick  and  Elizabeth  (  W^iv- 
master)  Martin.  Her  father,  who  was  a  drug- 
gist in  early  days,  settled  in  Waco  township, 
SedgAvick  county,  in  1870,  and  was  killed  by  a 
windmill,  in   1890.     Mr.  and  Mrs.   Redmond 


have  five  children  :  Owen ;  Joseph  ;  Margaret 
E. ;  Rose ;  Bertha,  and  Mary.  In  politics,  Mr. 
Redmond  is  independent,  while  in  religious 
views,  he  is  a  Catholic. 


7r\  H  ARLES  HATTON,  of  Wichita,  Sedg- 
I  J|       wick  county,  Kansas,  ex-police  judge 

^* — ^  and  a  prominent  insurance  man,  was 
born  in  May,  1849,  ^t  Hillsdale,  Michigan,  and 
is  a  son  of  Elijah  and  Catherine  Hatton,  who 
at  the  venerable  age  of  eighty-three  and  eighty- 
five  years,, respectively,  reside  at  Clinton,  Iowa. 
In  1854,  the  family  removed  to  Clinton, 
Iowa,  where  Charles  was  reared  and  received 
his  early  schooling, — later  attending  college  at 
Fulton,  Illinois.  He  studied  law  in  the  office 
of  A.  T.  Wheeler,  one  of  the  prominent  attor- 
neys of  Clinton,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  1871.  He  practiced  his  profession  at  Lyons 
and  Clinton,  Iowa,  and  the  following  year  came 
to  Kansas,  locatingin  Wichita.  In  1873,  ^^''• 
Hatton  formed  a  partnership  with  Judge  Sluss 
and  W.  E.  Stanley,  which  existed  ten  vears.  un- 
til Mr.  Sluss  was  elected  judge.  During  this 
time  Mr.  Hatton  served  as  city  attorney,  from 
1874  to  1880,  and  also  as  assistant  U.  S.  district 
attorney,  under  U.  S.  District  Attorney  James 
R.  Hallowell.  In  1890,  he  was  appointed  ad- 
jutant general  of  the  G.  A.  R.  for  the  depart- 
ment of  Kansas,  with  headquarters  at  Topeka, 
Kansas.  This  position  he  held  until  1893,  when 
he  was  appointed  police  judge  by  Gov.  Morrill, 
and  later,  by  Gov.  Leedy, — continuing  as  such 


TH'. 
NEW  YOR'< 

[public  UBR'-RV 

^sto^.  Lenox  »"<!  '^'^'^'"' I 
foundations. 


WILLIAM  S.  .\L'\CK1K. 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


329 


until  1898,  or  iSyg.  Alxuit  eighteen  nKuUhs 
ago,  Mr.  Hatton  entered  the  insuranee  linsiness 
with  the  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Company,  of 
New  York,  one  of  the  largest  and  most  suc- 
cessful insurance  companies  in  the  world,  of 
whose  branch  office  at  Wichita  he  is  now  man- 
ager. He  has  been  before  the  ])eople  almost 
constantly  since  locating  in  Wichita,  .-ind  liis 
record  is  such  as  to  Ijear  the  closest  investiga- 
tion. When  Judge  I3ale  was  first  elected,  Mr. 
Hatton  was  the  Republican  nominee,  and  ran 
ahead  of  his  ticket.  Mr,  Hatton  is  now  serving 
as  a  member  of  the  board  of  education  in  W'ich- 
ita,  having  been  its  president  one  year,  and 
having  been  connected  with  it  for  six  years. 

In  1862,  although  but  a  boy,  Mr.  Hatton  en- 
tered Wilson's  Cavalry,  being  recruited  in  1863. 
He  participated  in  numerous  engagements,  but 
fortunately  was  not  injured,  and  his  war  record 
is  in  keeping  with  that  of  his  private  life,  with- 
out blemish. 

He  was  married  to  Louise  Davitlson,  ofLe 
Claire,  Iowa,  and  six  children  have  been  born 
to  them  :  Mrs.  Grace  Hull,  wife  of  B.  B.  Hull, 
of  the  firm  of  Miller  &  Hull,  Wichita ;  William, 
mining  in  Colorado;  Lulu,  a  stenographer  in 
the  "Frisco"  office,  at  Wichita;  Charles,  just 
returned  from  an  extended  trip  through 
Europe,  who  is  about  to  enter  the  University 
of  Colorado,  for  preparation  as  a  mining  ex- 
pert ;  and  Catherine  and  Alice,  at  school. 

Politically,  Mr.  Hatton  is  a  strong  Kcpub- 
Hcan,  and  took  an  acti\e  part  in  the  campaign 
of  1900.  Fraternally,  he  is  a  member  of  the 
T.  O.  O.  F.,  B.  P.  O.  E.,  K.  of  P.,  and  Fra- 
ternal Aid  Association,  and  is  a  charter  mem- 


ber of  Post  No.  25,  G.  A.  R.     He  attends  the 
Episcopal  church. 

Mr.  Ilattnn  is  a  patient  and  thorough  student 
of  legal  problems.  His  mind,  trained  to  study 
and  in\'estigation,  is  satisfied  with  nothing  less 
than  a  clear  understanding  of  the  principles 
;m(l  ])hiliiso])hy  of  constitutional  and  statute 
law.  His  integrity  of  mind  and  character  in- 
sure honesty  of  purpose  and  action  in  all  mat- 
ters, personal  as  well  as  professional.  His 
judgment  is  mature,  his  experience  is  large 
and  varied,  and  knowing  much  of  business  and 
men,  he  is  familiar  with  the  practical  side  of 
life.  This  accumulation  of  experience  gave 
him  a  standing  at  the  bar,  as  well  as  in  the 
community,  with  whose  best  interests  he  has 
been  so  prominently  identified  for  many  years. 


-^rrjN /^  ILLIAM  S.  MACKIE,  whose  por- 
\y*\/  ^''""^  appears  on  the  opposite  page,  is 
'^  *^  a  well  known  and  highly  respected 
farmer  of  Greeley  township,  Sedgwick  county, 
Kansas.  He  was  born  in  Savannah,  Missouri, 
November  3,  1846,  and  is  a  son  of  Simeon  and 
Eunice  (Hobson)  Mackie. 

Simeon  Mackie  was  a  native  of  North  Caro- 
lina, where  he  attended  the  public  schools  and 
resided  until  after  his  marriage.  He  learned 
farming,  followed  it  in  his  native  state  dur- 
ing boyhood;  upon  ;itt;iining  his  majority,  he 
moved  to  IMissouri,  where  he  became  the  owner 
of  a  farm.  He  died  in  1891,  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enty-three years.  He  married  Eunice  Hobson, 
a  cousin  of  the  famous  Lieutenant  Hobson,  and 


330 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


they  became  the  parents  of  six  children  :  Chris- 
topher; Meivina;  Ann;  William  S. ;  Margaret; 
and  John.  His  wife  died  October  6,  1849,  ^^^ 
Sarah  Groomer  became  his  second  wife  and 
bore  him  the  following  children:  Thomas; 
George ;  Alice ;  Ada ;  and  Marian.  Religiously, 
he  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church,  and 
was  very  active  in  church  work.  In  addition 
to  his  business  he  was  a  preacher,  but  would 
never  accept  any  money  for  occupying  the  pul- 
pit, being  very  conscientious  on  that  score.  He 
was  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  his  friends 
and  relatives,  and  his  death  was  universally 
mourned  throughout  the  section  in  which  he 
lived.  His  estate  at  the  time  of  his  death  was 
valued  at  $10,000. 

William  S.  Mackie  attended  public  school  at 
Savannah,  Missouri,  and  at  an  early  age  learned 
the  trade  of  a  tanner.  He  followed  that  work 
in  Missouri  until  1873,  and  then  moved  to  his 
present  farm  in  Sedgwick  county,  Kansas.  He 
is  engaged  in  general  agricultural  operations  on 
his  160-acre  farm  in  Greeley  township,  and  has 
met  with  more  than  ordinary  success.  He 
built  the  main  brick  building  in  Mount  Hope, 
in  which  are  the  principal  stores  and  bank.  He 
also  built  the  two-story  block  occupied  by  J.  D. 
Bolton,  and  in  1899  erected  his  own  fine  resi- 
dence, which  is  eclipsed  by  no  other  in  the  lo- 
cality. 

Mr.  Mackie  was  united  in  marriage,  in  1871, 
with  Nancy  Fennimore.  a  native  of  Ohio,  who 
moved  to  Missouri  with  her  parents.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Mackie  became  the  parents  of  seven  chil- 
dren :  Dora  B.,  deceased ;  Ella  G. ;  Bessie  L. ; 
Robert  R. ;  May ;  Grace  A. ;  and  Ida  B.    Reli- 


giously, they  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Mackie  is 
a  prominent  Mason,  belonging  to  Mount  Hope 
Lodge,  No.  271.  In  1864,  he  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany H,  88th  Regiment  Mounted  Infantry, 
and  served  until  the  surrender  of  General  Lee, 
at  Appomattox  Court  House,  in  1865. 


tOBER  r  W. 
settlers  of 
—^  wick    cot 


.  ROSS,  one  of  the  oldest 
Minneha  township,  Sedg- 
county,  Kansas,  and  a  man 
well  known  and  highly  respected  in  his  locality, 
owns  the  third  quarter  section  preempted  in 
section  24  in  that  township, — being  the  north- 
west quarter  of  section  24,  township  27,  range 
2,  east.  He  was  born  in  Grant  county,  Indiana, 
in  1846,  reared  in  U'abash  county  in  the  same 
state,  and  is  a  son  of  Reason  and  Mary  (Bai- 
ley) Ross.  The  mother  died  in  1858  and  the 
father,  about  1869.  There  were  eight  children 
in  the  family,  as  follows:  Charlotte,  who  died 
in  the  winter  of  1899;  Elizabeth,  of  Grant 
county,  Indiana ;  William,  of  Fountain  county, 
Indiana;  Sarah  Ann,  deceased;  Franklin,  em- 
ployed at  the  court  house  at  Los  Angeles,  Cali- 
fornia; Robert  W. ;  Thomas,  of  Fountain 
county,  Indiana,  and  Rachel,  deceased. 

Reason  Ross  was  a  cooper  by  trade,  which 
he  taught  to  his  son,  Robert  W.,  who  also 
learned  steam  engineering,  paper  making  and 
carpentering,  the  last  of  which  he  preferred. 
He  remained  at  home  until  he  entered  the 
army,  in  January,  1864,  when  he  enlisted  in 
Company  L.  nth  Reg.,  Ind.  Vol.  Cav.,  served 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


331 


nearly  two  years,  and  was  mustered  out  at  the 
close  of  the  war.  He  was  detailed  for  special 
escort  duty  in  Kansas,  during  the  Indian 
troubles  of  1865,  but  was  finally  discharged 
at  Fort  Leavenworth,  Kansas. 

Returning  home,   Mr.   Ross  soon  after  re- 
moved to  Sangamon  county,  Illinois,  where  he 
engaged  in  farming,  although  he  did  not  pur- 
chase any  property.     In  March,  1S71,  he  came 
to  Sedgwick  county,  Kansas,  and  took  up  his 
present  fine  homestead.     This  land  was  raw 
prairie,  and  the  first  year  Mr.   Ross  lived  in 
a  tent ;  having  a  team  and  a  wagon,  he  set  out 
a  number  of  hedge  rows,  not  only  on  his  own 
property,    but    on   that    of   others,    embracing 
almost  the  entire  neighborhood.     The  second 
year  he  built  a  shanty,  12  by  14  feet,  hauling 
the  lumber  from  Newton,  and  paying  for  it 
$5  per  100  feet,  and  $5  for  windows  and  doors. 
His  barn,  which  he  replaced  with  a  frame  struc- 
ture in  1884,  was  of  sod,  covered  with  hay.    He 
erected  a  new  barn  in  1900,  32  by  50  feet.     In 
1894,  he  built  a  pleasant  and  substantial  house, 
provided  with  modern  conveniences,  and  sur- 
rounded by  trees,  all  of  which  were  hauled  from 
the  banks  of  the  river  and  planted  by  himself. 
The    entire    farm    is    surrounded    by    a    well 
trimmed  hedge  and  its  owner  raises  grain  and 
stock,  feeding  annually  from  40  to  50  head  of 
cattle,  preferably  Hereford,  while  his  hogs  are 
Poland-China,  Robert  S.  Cook  stock,  of  which 
he  raises  a  considerable  number.     Through  the 
farm  flows  a  stream  of  water,  which  serves  for 
watering   the   stock   and   irrigating  the   land. 
The    5-acre    orchard    and    one-acre    vineyard 
are  in  good  condition,  and  bearing  well.     In 


addition  to  these,  Mr.  Ross  planted  some  wal- 
nuts, and  the  trees  from  them  are  now  pro- 
ductive,— so  rapidly  does  vegetation  mature  in 
Kansas. 

Mr.  Ross  was  married  in  Springfield,  Illi- 
nois, to  Annie  Zears,  whose  parents  were  na- 
tives of  Illinois,  and  who  died  in  January,  1889, 
leaving  a  daughter,  lola,  a  charming  young 
lady,  who  keeps  house  for  her  father.  The  other 
child,  Arthur,  died  in  1883.  In  politics,  Mr. 
Ross  is  a  Republican,  and  served  on  the  school 
board  for  seventeen  years.  In  religious  attach- 
ments, he  is  a  consistent  member  of  the  M.  E. 
church.  Having  served  in  the  army,  he  natu- 
rally takes  a  deep  interest  in  G.  A.  R.  work, 
is  a  member  of  G.  W.  Harrison  Post  No.  21, 
and  always  attends  the  annual  encampments. 
A  self  made  man,  Mr.  Ross  has  every  reason 
to  be  proud  of  what  he  has  accomplished.  He 
is  even  associated  with  the  naming  of  the  town- 
ship, for  when  a  postoffice  was  esatblished  at 
that  point,  and  a  name  for  it  was  desired,  he 
and  another  man  called  it  Minneha.  The  town- 
ship adopted  the  name  at  a  later  period. 


ENJAMIN  A.  BAKER,  a  well  known 
farmer  and  veteran  soldier  of  the 
War  of  the  Rebellion,  is  a  resident  of 
the  southwest  (juarter  of  section  6,  township 
28,  range  2,  east,  Gypsum  township,  Sedgwick 
county,  Kansas.  He  was  born  in  1840,  in 
Meigs  county,  Ohio,  in  the  southeastern  part 
of  the  state,  being  a  son  of  William  and  Lucy 
(Bos worth)  Baker.    The  father  was  a  cabinet- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


maker  by  trade.  He  and  his  wife  died  within 
twelve  days  of  each  other,  and  tlieir  cliildren 
were  reared  by  relatives.  Their  family  was  as 
follows:  Benjamin  A. ;  Melinda  .\nn,  now  the 
wife  of  Milo  G.  Pratt,  a  railroad  man  residing 
in  Pike  connty,  Illinois;  and  William  Spencer, 
who  is  married  and  is  a  prominent  hotel  man 
of  Athens,  Athens  county,  Ohio. 

Benjamin  .\.  Baker  was  reared  by  his  mater- 
nal grandfather,  Hezekiah  Bosworth,  with 
whom  he  remained  until  he  reached  the  age  of 
nineteen  years,  attending  the  district  school,  and 
working  upon  his  grandfather's  400-acre  farm. 
At  this  age,  Mr.  Baker  went  to  Pike  county, 
Illinois,  where  he  worked  in  a  sawmill  until  the 
outbreak  of  the  war,  when  he  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany E.  loth  Reg.,  Mo.  Vol.  Inf.,  in  which 
he  served  over  three  years, — participating  in 
numerous  battles,  including  Shiloh,  Corinth, 
Mission  Ridge,  and  the  siege  of  Vicksburg. 
He  was  badly  wounded  at  Mission  Ridge,  and 
upon  his  return  to  Illinois,  after  his  honorable 
discharge,  he  was  afflicted  with  the  terrible 
malarial  fever,  contracted  in  the  South,  from 
which  so  many  of  our  soldiers  sufifered.  He 
has  not  fully  recovered  and  will  never  fully 
recover  from  his  war  experiences,  the  hardships 
and  strain  upon  his  fortitude,  as  well  as  his 
wound  and  illness,  wearing  severely  upon  his 
constitution.  He  is  not  a  man  to  complain, 
however,  feeling  that  he  but  did  his  duty 
toward  the  country  and  flag  he  loves  so  dearly. 

After  the  war,  Mr.  Baker  resided  in  Illinois 
until  the  spring  of  1877,  when  he  came  west, 
to  Sedgwick  county,  Kansas,  and  bought  his 
present  quarter  section  from  B.  A.  Thornhill, 


who  had  preempted  and  proved  it.  Mr.  Thorn- 
hill  had  built  a  one  room  house,  and  upon  com- 
ing into  possession  of  the  property,  Mr.  Baker 
added  to  it,  and  resided  therein  eighteen  years. 
Then,  in  1896,  he  built  his  present  comfortable, 
two-story  dwelling,  18  by  28  feet,  in  size,  with 
an  ell,  16  by  14  feet.  The  house  is  surrounded 
with  grateful  shade  trees,  has  two  driveways, 
leading  to  house  and  barn,  which  are  bordcretl 
with  trees,  and  many  improvements  have  been 
made  on  the  premises.  Mr.  Baker  set  out  six 
acres  of  orchard,  containing  apple,  peach,  plum 
and  cherry  trees,  which  were  obtained  from  St. 
Joseph,  Mis,souri.  In  1897,  he  started  a  peach 
orchard,  which  is  now  in  a  very  fine  condition, 
the  climate  of  Kansas  being  peculiarly  suited 
to  the  growth  of  fruit.  The  farm  is  well  fenced 
into  20  and  40  acre  lots,  and  is  devoted  to 
grain  and  stock,  Mr.  Baker  obtaining  his  Po- 
land-China hogs  from  Robert  S.  Cook  stock. 

Mr.  Baker  was  married  in  Schuyler  county, 
Illinois,  where  he  had  speculated  some  in 
tobacco,  to  Lucinda  Pratt,  daughter  of  Leonard 
J.  Pratt,  an  old  settler  of  Illinois,  originally 
from  Ohio.  Mrs.  Baker  died  in  1885,  leaving 
three  children:  George  W.,  now  engaged  in 
the  ice  business  at  Wichita,  who  is  married,  and 
has  one  child;  Charles,  who  died  after  becom- 
ing of  age;  and  Nevia  ^^,  now  Mrs.  Peacock, 
residing  on  a  farm  in  Gypsum  township,  four 
miles  south  of  Mr.  Baker's  farm,  who  has 
two  children, — Olie  and  Alice.  Mr.  Baker 
married  again,  his  second  wife  being  Mrs.  Wil- 
mina  Yaple,  widow  of  J.  J.  Yaple.  who  hafl 
one  son  by  her  first  marriage,  James  W.  Yaple. 
To   Mr.   and   Mrs.    Baker  two  children   were 


THf. 
New  VOR-; 

f/ PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


CHARLES  \V.  SIMMONS. 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


335 


born, — Mabel  and  Ella  Elizabelli, — and  bright- 
ened by  the  presence  of  these  two  daughters, 
the  home  of  the  family  is  a  very  pleasant  one. 
Mrs.  Baker  is  a  notable  housewife,  but  she 
bears  her  part  in  the  management  of  affairs  in 
a  most  creditalile  manner.  Mr.  Baker  is  a 
stanch  Republican  in  politics,  and  has  served 
fifteen  years  on  the  school  board.  Socially  he 
is  a  member  of  Garfield  Post  No.  25,  G.  A.  R., 
of  Wichita.  As  a  loyal  soldier,  a  faithful  pub- 
lic ofificial  and  an  honorable  private  citizen,  Mr. 
Baker  has  proven  himself  a  true  man  in  the 
highest  acceptance  of  the  word,  and  the  confi- 
dence felt  in  him  by  his  neighbors,  and  friends 
outside  his  immediate  vicinity,  is  most  certainly 
deserved. 


m 


ARLES  W.  SIMMONS,  a  gentleman 


of   prominence    in    Sedgwick    county, 

^■^ "  Kansas,    whf)se    portrait,    engraved 

from  a  recent  photograph,  is  shown  on  the  op- 
posite page,  is  now  efticiently  serving  his  sec- 
ond term  in  the  capacity  of  sheriff  of  the 
county.  He  was  born  in  Green  county,  Wis- 
consin, December  11,  1847,  ''"^1  is  a  son  of 
Charlton  and  Mary  (Allison)  Simmons. 

His  grandfather,  James  Simmons,  lived  near 
Newbern,  North  Carolina, where  Charlton  Sim- 
mons was  born,  in  18 17.  The  latter  remo\-ed  to 
Lawrence  county,  Illinois,  with  his  mother,  as 
his  father  had  died  at  an  early  age.  He  mar- 
ried Mary  Allison,  and  then  moved  to  Green 
county,  Wisconsin,  where  he  now  resides.  His 
wife  died  in  1880,  aged  sixty-five  years.  He 
was  a  stock  dealer,  and  extensively  engaged  in 


raising  thoroughbred  and  standard  bred  horses, 
Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat.  He  and  his 
wife  were  parents  of  the  following  children: 
William  H. ;  Carrie  (Holloway)  ;  Charles  W. ; 
Mary  (Fenton),  deceased;  George;  Lyda 
(Moore);  Lucinda  (Adrian);  Charlton,  Jr.; 
Edwin  and  Edgar,  twins;  Flora  (Chaplin); 
Ida  ;  Eva  ( Walser)  ;  and  Albert. 

Charles  W.  Simmons  attended  school  in 
Green  county,  Wisconsin,  and  moved  to  Sedg- 
wick county,  Kansas,  in  1870,  taking  up  a  farm 
in  Minneha  township.  He  sold  that  farm  a 
few  years  afterwards  and  bought  one  of  225 
acres  in  Kechi  township,  which  he  still  owns. 
He  engaged  in  stock  raising  and  stock  dealing, 
mainly  handling  horses,  and  carried  on  an  ex- 
tensive business.  He  moved  to  Wichita  in  1893, 
received  the  appointment  of  under  sheriff,  and 
acteil  as  such  for  fourteen  months.  He  then 
resigned  and  opened  a  livery  stable.  After 
getting  it  established  he  sold  out  and  opened 
another,  which  he  also  sold  soon  afterward.  In 


1897 


he    v.as    elected    sherift'    of    Sedgwick 


county,  and  was  reelected  in  1899.  The  subject 
of  this  sketch  is  a  good  business  man,  and  is 
thorough  in  all  that  he  does. 

During  his  service  in  the  office  of  sheriflf,  Mr. 
Simmons  has  met  with  some  queer  experiences 
in  regard  to  jail  breakers.  Upon  one  occasion 
he  was  visiting  at  Topeka,  and,  during  the  in- 
si)ection  of  the  jail  there,  the  conversation 
turned  to  the  subject  of  convicts  sawing  their 
way  out.  Mr.  Simmons  remarked :  "They 
could  never  saw  their  way  out  of  Sedgwick 
county  jail,  if  placed  behind  the  rotary  door." 
When  he  reached  home,  the  under  sherifif  was 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


at  the  depot,  looking  about,  as  tlie  train  pulled 
in.  Mr.  Simmons  asked :  "Are  you  looking 
for  some  one?"  And  the  answer  was:  "Yes, 
1  am  looking  for  you ;  some  of  the  men  have 
sawed  their  way  out."  Mr.  Simmons  inquired 
wily  tliey  had  not  been  put  behind  the  rotary, 
and  was  luucli  surprised  upon  hearing  that  they 
had  been  so  placed, — as  he  considered  the  task 
of  escaping  from  such  environs  an  impossibil- 
ity. This  but  goes  to  show  the  ditificulties  to 
be  contended  with,  and  the  carefulness  required 
of  a  sheriff.  Nearly  all  of  the  convicts  were 
recaptured.  On  July  29,  1900,  Mr.  Simmons, 
suspecting  a  plot  was  under  way  to  saw  out, 
made  a  search  of  the  different  cells,  and  found 
a  burglar's  saw  and  13  blades  secured  in  vari- 
ous hiding  places.  As  Mr.  Simmons  was 
about  to  go  to  a  sheriffs'  meeting  at  Topeka, 
Kansas,  in  October,  1900,  remembering  the  ex- 
perience he  had  had  on  a  previous  trip  to  that 
place,  he  could  not  feel  sure  that  it  was  the  best 
thing  to  leave  the  jail.  On  retiring  that  night, 
he  heard  a  noise  in  the  rotary  cells.  Partially 
dressed,  he  went  to  the  cells,  and.  with  the  as- 
sistance of  his  wife,  was  himself  locked  within 
the  corridor,  so  that  in  case  there  had  been  a 
successful  attempt  to  break  through  the  iron- 
work of  the  rotary  cells,  there  could  be  no  way 
of  escaping  through  the  great  iron  door,  as  the 
keys  were  in  the  possession  of  Mrs.  Simmons. 
One  of  the  prisoners,  who  had  taken  oft'  his 
shirt  and  was  seemingly  at  work,  accosted  Mr. 
Simmons,  saying:  "Did  I  awaken  you?"  Upon 
being  answered  in  the  negative,  he  remarked 
that  he  (the  Sheriff)  was  a  regular  night  hawk. 
When  Mr.  Simmons  replied  that  he  did  not 


know  hut  that  some  one  of  the  inmates  might 
be  sick  and  in  need  of  help,  the  prisoner  replied 
that  the  noise  was  made  in  killing  bedbugs, 
and  assured  the  Sheriff  that  the  disturbance 
would  not  hapi)en  again  that  night.  Mr.  Sim- 
mons, knowing  well  that  there  was  a  plot  to 
saw  out  and  escape,  kept  secreted,  and,  after 
closing  the  doors,  returned  a  short  time  after- 
ward, and  found  that  a  blanket  had  been  hung 
up  to  screen  operations;  upon  further  inspec- 
tion, he  noticed  a  fire,  by  the  means  of  which 
the  i)risoner  had  drawn  the  temper  from  the 
steel  bars  and  had  succeeded  in  cutting  a  hole 
large  enough  to  admit  a  man's  body.  "Well,'" 
said  the  Sheriff,  "still  killing  bedbugs?" 
"Yes,"  responded  the  prisoner,  "but  it's  all  up 
now;  if  you  had  only  kept  out  of  here  for 
about  fifteen  miinites.  I  would  have  been  out 
on  the  green." — meaning  that  he  would  have 
secured  his  liberty.  It  was  fortunate  for  the 
Sheriff  that  he  did  not  go  to  Topeka  for,  if  he 
had  taken  the  journey,  all  the  prisoners  would 
have  been  liberated.  This  prisoner,  Charles 
McCo}',  had  broken  out  of  three  different  pris- 
ons during  the  summer  of  1900,  and  was  re- 
captured at  a  considerable  distance  from  his 
last  place  of  incarceration. 

Charles  W.  Simmons  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Pardee  Dadisman,  and  they  are  the  par- 
ents of  five  children  :  Daisy,  wife  of  J.  E.  Mc- 
pherson, and  mother  of  two  children,  Lee  and 
Floyd;  Lillie,  who  married  W.  C.  Hoover,  and 
has  two  children,  Barine  and  William  S. ;  Dur- 
ward  C. ;  Georgie,  deceased  ;  and  C.  Dean.  In 
politics,  Mr.  Simmons  is  a  Republican.  He  is 
a  member  of  Lodge  No.  22,  A.  O.  U.  W. 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


337 


7^  HARLES  H.  WOOLF.  one  of  tlie  self 
I  J|  made  men  and  especially  successful 
^•~— ^  farmers,  stock  raisers  and  fruit  grow- 
ers of  Kansas,  resides  on  a  finely  cultivated 
farm  on  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  23, 
Morton  township,  Sedgwick  county,  Kansas. 
He  was  born,  October  1 1,  1854.  in  Muskingum 
county,  Ohio,  of  which  Zanesville  is  the  county 
seat,  and  is  a  son  of  Andrew  T.  and  Angeline 
Woolf. 

Andrew  T.  Woolf  was  a  son  of  Adam  and 
Mary  Woolf,  who  became  residents  of  Ohio  in 
1830,  locating  in  Muskingum  county,  the  fam- 
ily being  originally  from  Loudoun  county,  Vir- 
ginia. The  maternal  grandmother  of  Charles 
H.  Woolf  was  a  Pennsylvania  Dutch  woman, 
and  was  brought  by  her  parents  to  Muskingum 
county,  Ohio,  in  1806.  His  father  was  the  old- 
est of  eight  children,  some  of  whom  are  de- 
ceased. John  resides  in  Chicago,  while  Frank, 
Samuel  and  Sophia  probably  reside  in  Virginia, 
as  their  brother  has  never  heard  of  their  death. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Andrew  T.  Woolf  were  married, 
about  1853,  '"  Muskingum  county,  Ohio,  and, 
being  poor  people,  rented  a  farm  from  a  Ger- 
man in  the  neighborhood.  Five  children  were 
born  to  them,  as  follows :  Charles  H. ;  Frank, 
a  prominent  farmer,  of  Illinois  township,  Sedg- 
wick county,  Kansas ;  Laura,  now  Mrs.  LeRoy 
Dunn,  who  resides  on  some  of  the  homestead 
property  in  Ohio,  and  has  two  sons  and  two 
daughters;  Blanche,  who  is  the  wife  of  Milo  E. 
Dunn,  a  professional  man  residing  in  Colum- 
bus, Ohio,  and  has  three  children ;  and  Maude, 
now  Mrs.  Cawkins,  of  Zanesville,  Ohio. 

Charles  H.  Woolf  was  reared  and  mentally 


instructed  in  the  common  schools  of  his  district, 
receiving,  however,  but  few  educational  ad- 
vantages. He  assisted  his  father  until  he  was 
twenty-two  years  old,  when  he  married  (in 
1878),  and  continued  on  the  farm  for  five  years 
more,  when  the  landlord  died.  His  heirs 
ofifered  Charles  H.  Woolf  the  farm  at  the  same 
rent  his  father  had  paid,  but  he  refused,  and 
having  heard  of  the  chances  for  a  poor  man 
in  Kansas  resolved  to  try  his  fortune  in  that 
state.  Louis  Howard,  a  friend  of  his,  had  been 
to  see  the  country  around  Wichita,  so  Mr. 
Woolf  determined  to  see  it  for  himself.  There- 
fore, in  December,  1881,  in  company  with 
Frank  Woolf,  his  brother,  the  subject  of  this 
writing  came  to  Kansas,  and  after  visiting  sev- 
eral localities  in  the  eastern  portion  reached 
Wichita,  and  inspected  the  surroundings.  He 
was  so  well  pleased  that  he  returned  to  Ohio, 
sold  his  live  stock  and  farm  implements,  and 
with  his  wife  and  two  children,  his  brother's 
family  and  his  brother-in-law,  returned  to  the 
Sunflower  State  in  March,  1882.  The  first 
location  was  made  on  the  old  Frank  Stover 
farm,  1 5  miles  southwest  of  Wichita,  where  he 
resided  one  year.  Then  he  moved  to  Frank 
Means'  farm,  where  he  also  stayed  a  year.  Dur- 
ing this  time  Charles  H.  Woolf  and  Frank 
Woolf  had  purchased  a  half  section  in  Illinois 
township,  and  the  subject  hereof  removed  to 
this  farm.  He  resided  there  until  the  spring  of 
1886,  when  he  traded  with  Thomas  Speers  for 
the  northwest  (]uarter  of  section  23,  township 
28,  range  4,  west,  his  present  home,  and  one  of 
the  finest  pieces  of  farm  property  in  Sedgwick 
county.      Very    few    improvements   had   been 


338 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


made  on  this  farm  hy  tlic  foniier  owner,  who 
had  preempted  it.  As  soon  as  it  came  into  the 
possession  of  Mr.  W'oolf,  however,  he  com- 
menced enhancing  its  \ahie,  and  has  continued 
making  improvements  ever  since.  Owing  to 
tlie  care  bestowed  ii])i>n  it.  the  f.irm  lias  yielded 
many  fold,  and  Mr.  WHulf  lias  raised  tine  crops 
of  corn,  wheat,  etc.,  which  have  never  failed 
(hiring  the  thirteen  years  of  his  ownership. 
Being  a  man  of  original  ideas,  Mr.  Woolf  has 
taken  especial  pains  with  his  orchards,  and  has 
20  acres  set  out  in  fruit  trees.  In  1899.  '^^  the 
county  fair,  he  took  the  '"blue  riltliou"  on  his 
apples,  his  exhibit  including  13  varieties  of 
apples,  two  varieties  of  pears  and  one  of 
quinces.  About  the  same  time  that  he  planted 
his  orchard,  he  set  out  a  fine  grove  of  shade 
trees, — includiu,g  black  locust,  maple  and 
catal])a,  all  of  wliicli  arc  in  excellent  condi- 
tion. 

In  1895,  Mr.  Woolf  erected  his  present  com- 
fortable residence,  at  a  cost  of  some  $3,000. 
It  is  a  large  structure,  being  32  by  54  feet, 
in  dimensions,  is  20  feet  high  to  the  square,  and 
has  nine  rooms,  including  the  bathroom.  It  is 
supplied  with  hot  and  cold  water,  has  a  walled 
cellar,  24  by  26  feet  S(|uare,  and  is  furnished 
with  all  modern  improvements.  The  handsome 
barn  accommodates  12  horses,  while  numerous 
other  outbuildings  testify  to  the  owner's  thrift 
and  good  management.  Mr.  Woolf  also  makes 
a  .specialty  of  dairy  ])roducts.  keciiing  some 
40  head  of  cattle. — about  20  of  which  are  milch 
cows.  In  his  dairy  are  all  modern  appliances, 
including  a  cream  separator,  and  he  sends  his 
cream  by  express  to  Wichita  for  sale.     The 


strain  of  cattle  he  prefers  is  the  famous  Red 
Polled,  while  his  hogs  are  of  Berkshire  stock. 

In  addition  to  his  home  farm,  Mr.  Woolf  is 
the  possessor  of  80  acres  in  section  14  (20 
acres  of  wliicb  are  seeded  to  alfalfa),  and  also 
240  acres  in  section  22  (the  northeast  (|uarter, 
and  the  north  half  of  the  northwest  quarter), 
which  is  pasture  land,  and  through  which  the 
Ninnescah  River  runs. 

In  1878,  Mr.  Woolf  married  Ellic  Hart, 
daughter  of  Isaac  and  Martha  I  lart.  and  nine 
children  have  been  born  to  them,  of  whom  the 
survivors  are  still  at  home.  The  names  of  the 
children  are  as  follows:  Roy,  twenty-one 
years  old,  born  in  Ohio;  Will,  born  in  Ohio; 
Ada,  Mattie,  Ida  and  Laura,  deceased;  Hattie; 
Nellie;  and  the  baby.  Hazel,  a  sweet  little  girl 
of  fifteen  months.  Since  locating  in  Kansas, 
the  members  of  the  family  ha\-e  enjoyed  excel- 
lent health,  although  at  the  time  of  the  moving, 
Mrs.  Woolf's  health  was  very  poor. 

As  a  prosperous,  practical  farmer  and  busi- 
ness man,  Mr.  Woolf  has  few  equals,  and  the 
success  which  has  crowned  his  efforts  is  well 
deserved.  Politically,  he  belongs  to  the  People's 
party,  giving  his  support  to  what  he  believes 
is  for  the  best  interests  of  the  people  generally. 
.'\lthough  not  a  politician,  nor  seeking  office, 
he  has  been  selected  three  terms  as  a  trustee 
of  Morton  township.  Fraternally,  he  is  a  char- 
ter member  of  the  M.  \\'.  of  .\..  at  Chenev.  In 
church  matters,  he  gives  his  sujiport  to.  .Tud 
attends,  the  Cheney  M.  K.  chuicii.  Both  as 
a  private  citizen  and  a  public  official.  Mr. 
Woolf's  every  action  has  been  characterized 
by  fairness  of  dealing  and  uprightness  of  pur- 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


339 


pose.  He  enjoys  a  widespread  popularity,  and 
is  regarded  as  one  of  tlie  best  representatives  of 
the  agricultural  interests  of  the  great  state  of 
Kansas. 


M 


L.  GKEEN,  a  prominent  farmer  and 
citizen  of  Sedgwick  county,  Kansas, 
is  a  native  of  Rush  county,  Indiana. 
He  was  born  January  15,  1829,  and  is  a  son  of 
John  and  Mary  Ann  (Cruzan)  Green.  John 
Green  lived  in  Ohio  during  his  early  youth,  but 
at  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  residing  in 
Marshall  county,  Indiana,  where  he  was  carry- 
ing on  farming.  His  death,  which  occurred 
in  1862,  was  followed  by  that  of  his  devoted 
wife  about  two  years  later.  They  were  the 
parents  of  the  following  chiklren:  William 
and  Sarah,  deceased ;  D.  L. :  Margaret,  de- 
ceased;  Susan,  who  lives  in  Cherokee  county, 
Kansas:  Clara,  deceased:  Julia,  who  lives  in 
Colorado :  Benjamin,  who  is  foreman  in  a  pack- 
ing house  in  Indiana ;  Joshua,  deceased  :  Emma, 
who  lives  in  Topeka,  Kansas :  Elizabeth,  who 
lives  in  St.  Joseph,  Missouri;  and  Alice,  who 
resides  in  Wichita,  Kansas. 

D.  L.  Green  spent  his  earlv  b<^vlio(i(I  attend- 
ing the  schools  of  his  native  district,  and  assist- 
ed his  father  about  the  farm  until  he  became 
of  age.  He  then  w-ent  to  Valparaiso,  Indiana, 
where  he  worked  at  intervals  for  about  eighteen 
years.  In  August,  T870,  he  first  located  in  the 
state  of  Kansas,  and  took  up  a  claim  in  Sedg- 
wick county,  consisting  of  tlie  northwest  quar- 
ter of  section  30,  township  27,  range  2,  east. 
He  was  at  that  time  the  only  settler  in  that 


part  of  the  county,  and  gave  the  name,  Min- 
neha,  to  the  township,  which  it  still  bears. 

Mr.  Green  continued  to  live  there  until 
1883,  when  he  sold  out.  As  the  land  was  but 
raw  prairie,  it  took  many  years  of  constant  and 
arduous  labor  to  bring  it  to  its  present  condi- 
tion. Before  Mr.  Green  had  sold  his  first  prop- 
erty, however,  he  had  succeeded  in  transform- 
ing it  into  a  fine,  productive  farm.  He  suc- 
ceeded in  acquiring  two  more  quarter  sections 
of  land,  but  sold  all  his  property  when  he 
moved  to  Wichita,  where  he  spent  ten  years  in 
the  real  estate  business.  In  1884,  he  built  the 
Green  Block  in  Wichita  (which  he  disposed  of 
in  1891 ),  and  also  bought  three  farms  in  King- 
man county,  Kansas.  In  1888,  he  bought  a 
quarter  of  section  3,  in  \\'aco  township,  upon 
which  he  immediately  expended  $2,000  in 
erecting  new  buildings.  He  then  sold  out  and 
bought  the  Forward  homestead,  which  con- 
sisted of  80  acres  in  section  t^t^,  Delano  town- 
ship, where  he  has  resided  ever  since.  Gen- 
eral farming  is  his  present  occupation,  in  which 
he  is  meeting  with  success,  and  is  considered 
one  of  the  representative  farmers  of  the  com- 
munity. 

October  31,  1850,  Mr.  Green  was  joined  in 
marriage  with  Rebecca  Parker,  a  daughter  of 
Joel  and  Susan  (Martin)  Parker,  of  Virginia. 
Mrs.  Green  died  in  1872,  being  the  mother  of 
the  following  children:  William  F.,  who  is  a 
grain  dealer,  and  li\-es  in  Wichita:  L.  ?>.,  who 
lives  in  Kansas  City,  where  he  works  in  the 
Produce  Exchange  Building:  John  F.,  who 
lives  in  \\'ichita;  George,  who  is  an  employee 
in  the  stock  yards  at  Kansas  City;  Stella,  who 


840 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


is  the  wife  of  William  II.  Shoemaker;  and 
Clarence  II..  who  lives  at  home.  In  politics, 
Mr.  (Ireen  is  an  ardent  Democrat,  and  takes 
a  prominent  part  in  local  affairs.  Religiously, 
he  is  a  Methodist.  In  1871.  in  company  with 
three  others,  he  went  on  a  hutifalo  hunt  which 
afforded  many  thrillinij  incidents,  and  was  one 
of  the  most  enjoyable  trips  he  has  ever  taken. 
Besifles  bringing  back  numerous  buffaloes,  they 
shot  several  wolves  and  other  wild  animals. 
Mr.  fircen  is  undoubtedly  one  of  the  oldest  of 
the  pioneer  settlers  of  this  county,  and  his 
many  aciiuaintances  ha\e  always  deemed  him 
an  honorable,  upright  and  enterprising  business 
man  and  citizen.  He  is  aLso  esteemed  as  a  good 
neighbor  and  has  always  been  a  Warm  friend 
to  the  needy. 


z'  ^  M.  CARLTOX.  a  prominent  and  suc- 
l  Jj  •  cessful  farmer  residing  in  section  26. 
^ — ^  township  28,  range  i ,  east  ( Gyp- 
sum township),  was  born  in  Johnson  county, 
Missouri,  in  1867,  and  is  a  son  of  F.  S.  and 
Lucinda  (Blevins)  Carlton.  Of  the  family 
born  to  our  subject's  parents,  only  the  three 
following  are  living:  \\'.  S..  who  owns  two 
farms  in  Gypsum  township,  and  is  a  retired 
resident  of  Derby;  John  R.,  who  lives  on  his 
own  farm  in  section  22,  Gypsum  township; 
and  C.  M.  There  was  also  a  daughter,  who 
is  many  years  deceased. 

The  family  came  from  Missouri  to  Sedgwick 
county,  Kansas,  in  1871,  when  C.  M.  was  but 
four  and  a  half  years  of  age,  crossing  the  plains 


by  wagons, — there  being  no  railroads  then  in 
that  region.  The  father  had  traded  his  prop- 
erty in  Missouri  for  500  acres  of  unbroken 
prairie,  now  worth  about  $35  per  acre,  and 
among  the  best  farming  lands  in  the  county. 
This  land  was  located  in  section  23,  Gypsum 
township.  At  first  the  Carltons  were  the  only 
settlers.  In  time  other  property  was  taken  up. 
but  their  early  neighbors  are,  nearly  all,  dead, 
or  located  in  some  other  part  of  the  county. 

C.  M.  Carlton  was  reared  in  Sedgwick 
county,  and  mentally  trained  in  its  public 
schools.  Later,  he  attended  the  normal  school 
at  Emporia,  for  two  and  a  half  years,  after 
which  he  taught  school  two  or  three  years,  in 
districts  Nos.  4  and  12,  near  home.  During 
the  summers  he  followed  farming,  and  in  1896 
purchased  160  acres  in  sections  25  and  26.  His 
landed  possessions  now  amount  to  320  acres, 
upon  which  he  has  made  many  improvements, — 
erecting  a  large  barn  in  the  year  last  mentioned, 
as  well  as  other  necessary  outbuildings.  The 
barn  is  a  very  spacious  one,  measuring  40  by  40 
feet,  and  his  house  is  a  comfortable  residence, 
thoroughly  adapted  to  the  needs  of  the  family. 
The  place  is  well  stocked,  and  grain  and  hay 
are  also  raised.  Fruit  and  shade  trees  afford  a 
pleasant  shelter  from  the  sun's  heat  and  the 
latter  yield  all  the  fruit  necessary  for  family 
consumption;  the  hedge  fences  are  kept  well 
trimmed.  In  addition  to  his  own  property,  Mr. 
Carlton  rents  land,  farming  in  all  640  acres. 

C.  M.  Carlton  was  married  to  Carrie  Hotsa- 
pillar,  and  two  children  have  blessed  their 
union :  Franklin  H.  and  Opal  L.  In  political 
matters,  Mr.  Carlton  adheres  to  the  principles 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


341 


set  forth  in  tlie  ])latforni  uf  the  Demo- Populist 
party,  and  has  taken  a  very  active  part  in  local 
affairs.  He  served  acceptably  from  six  to  eight 
years  as  clerk  and  trustee  of  the  township  board, 
and  also  on  the  school  board  of  district  N(x  4, 
and  is  a  justice  of  the  peace.  Being  a  man  of 
sterling  honesty  antl  uprightness  of  purpose, 
his  neighbors  feel  that  n(_i  better  man  can  be 
found  to  represent  them,  and  he  is  destined 
to  be  calletl  upon  to  uphold  the  doctrines  of  his 
party  in  far  higher  offices  than  any  he  has  as 
yet  accepted.  Fraternally,  he  is  connected  with 
the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  Derby,  and  is  as  popular  in 
that  organizaticin,  as  he  is  with  the  general 
public  in  Gypsum  township. 


M 


ANIEL  GUNSAULLUS,  a  well 
known  and  prosperous  farmer  of 
Sherman  township,  Sedgwick  county, 
Kansas,  resides  on  a  fine  farm  of  160  acres  in 
section  10.  He  was  born  in  Richland  county, 
Ohio,  on  July  16,  1830,  and  is  a  son  of  Daniel 
and  Nancy  (Wilson)  Gunsaullus,  natives  of 
Auburn,  New  York. 

Daniel  Gunsaullus,  Sr.,  who  was  a  farmer 
by  occupation,  removed  from  New  York  State 
to  Richland  county,  Ohio,  where  he  purchased  a 
farm  and  became  one  of  the  financially  substan- 
tial farmers  of  his  locality.  There  he  remained 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  on  January  4, 
1830,  when  he  was  but  forty-five  years  old. 
His  widow  survived  him  until  1869,  when  she 
too  passed  away,  aged  seventy-nine  years,  in 
Defiance  county,  Ohio.     A  family  was  born  to 


this  couple,  as  follows  :  Sarah ;  Melvin  ;  Nancy ; 
Levi;  William;  Mary  Jane;  David;  and  Dan- 
iel,— the  birth  of  the  last  named  occurring 
after  the  death  of  his  father.  The  elder  chil- 
dren carried  on  the  farm,  and  when  the  younger 
children  ^rew  old  enough  to  shift  for  them- 
selves, the  latter  were  thrown  on  their  own 
resources.  In  those  days  the  advantages  afford- 
ed were  not  what  they  are  today,  and  Daniel 
Gunsaullus  was  forcetl  to  work  very  hard,  when 
at  the  present  time  his  own  children,  at  the 
same  age,  are  carefully  protected,  and  sent  to 
school. 

In  1861  Mr.  Gunsaullus  enlisted  in  Company 
F",  48th  Reg.  Ohio  Vol.  Inf.,  and  served  until 
the  close  of  the  war,  participating  in  the  siege 
of  Vicksburg,  where  he  was  wounded  in  the 
left  thigh,  and  disabled  for  three  months. 
After  rejoining  the  regiment  at  New  Orleans, 
he  was  made  prisoner  on  the  Red  River,  and 
taken  to  Camp  Ford,  Texas,  where  he  remained 
for  eight  months.  At  first  the  prisoners  were 
without  shelter,  but  were  finally  allowed,  under 
close  guard,  to  cut  timber  for  building  a  hut. 
In  a  short  time  a  16- foot  cabin  was  erected, 
which  cost  our  soldiers  not  only  their  hard 
labor,  but  also  $20  in  cash,  which  was  more 
than  its  value.  After  the  close  of  the  war,  Mr. 
Gunsaullus  was  honorably  discharged  and  re- 
joined his  family  and  mother,  remaining  with 
the  latter  until  1871,  when  she  died,  and  the 
property  was  divided.  Taking  his  share,  Dan- 
iel Gunsaullus  went  to  Kansas  and  purchased 
his  present  farm,  which  was  then  unbroken 
prairie,  over  which  herds  of  buffalo  roamed. 
By  his  efforts,  the  one-time  hunting  ground 


342 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


of  the  Indians  has  heen  transformed  into  one 
of  the  best  cultivated  and  stocked  farms  in 
Sedgwick  county,  and  tlie  entire  property  be- 
speaks his  tlirift  and  good  management. 

In  January,  1857,  Mr.  Gunsaullus  married 
Emily  A.  Mallory,  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  six 
children  were  tlie  fruit  of  their  union:  Wat- 
son; Wilson;  Eleanor;  Jnlin;  Edmund  and 
Ruby.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gunsaullus  and  family 
are  consistent  members  of  the  Congregational 
church,  in  which  they  are  active  workers.  Po- 
litically, the  head  of  the  family  affiliates  with 
the  Republican  party,  and  takes  a  deep  interest 
in  its  success.  Prosperous,  pleasant  in  manner 
and  upright  in  conduct,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  has  many  friends,  and  is  accorded  much 
credit  for  the  success  he  has  attained.  He  is 
a  good  example  of  a  self  made  man,  developed 
through  characteristics  that  the  rising  genera- 
tion will  do  well  to  cojiy. 


ICIIAEL  LTLL.  one  of  the  mo,st 
)rosperous  farmers  and  most  exten- 
sive land  owners  in  Sherman 
township,  Sedgwick  county,  Kansas,  is  the  pro- 
prietor of  400  acres  in  section  8,  range  3,  west, 
240  acres  in  section  9,  160  acres  in  section  16, 
160  acres  in  section  17,  besides  having  title  to 
other  land  in  Butler  county.  He  was  born  in 
June,  1849,  hi  Lincolnshire,  England,  and  is  a 
son  of  George  and  Eliza  (Smith)  Lill. 

The  father  of  Michael  Lill  came  to  America 
in  1879,  but  lived  upon  the  interest  accruing 
from  landed  property  in  England,  and  later. 


upon  the  income  from  investments  of  the  money 
received  from  the  sale  of  this  property.  In 
England  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the 
established  cluuxh,  but,  as  there  was  no  Epis- 
copal church  in  the  vicinity  of  their  home  in 
this  country,  they  attended  the  M.  E.  church. 
Five  children  were  born  to  them,  namely: 
George  S.;  Joseph  T. ;  Michael;  John  W.  and 
Jabez.  The  father  died  in  November,  1891, 
aged  seventy-four  years,  and  his  widow  died 
in  June.  1900.  aged  eighty  years. 

Michael  Lill  was  the  first  of  his  family  to 
come  to  .\merica,  where  he  landed  at  Portland, 
Maine,  in  1862.  Thence  he  proceeded  to  Can- 
ada, but  finding  the  climate  too  cold  he  went 
west,  intending  to  locate  in  the  valley  of  the 
Platte.  Meeting  some  Scotch  friends,  how- 
ever, he  was  persuaded  to  settle  in  the  vicinity 
of  Council  P)lufTs,  where  he  remained  for  five 
years,  living  with  families  named  House,  Cole 
and  Richardson.  In  1876,  he  started  anew  for 
Kansas  and  located  in  Sherman  township, 
where  he  purchased  his  home  property  of  160 
acres,  to  which  he  added  at  various  times  until 
he  accumulated  his  present  lands.  He  raises 
corn,  wheat  and  oats,  breeds  fine  blooded  stock 
and  cattle,  and  is  very  successful.  His  resi- 
dence is  a  comfortable  one,  and  his  barn  and 
outbuildings  demonstrate  his  thrift  and  good 
management. 

In  1878  Mr.  Lill  was  married  in  Missouri 
X'alley,  Iowa,  to  Johanna  Grigsby,  of  that 
place,  a  daughter  of  W.  E.  Grigsby,  and  five 
children  have  resulted,  as  follows:  Harry; 
Percy ;  Genevieve ;  Gertrude ;  and  Joseph  G.  In 
national  matters  Mr.  Lill   is  an  advocate  of 


'PUR      "itswipv 


// 


DR.  JAMES  ENOCH  LIGGETT. 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


345 


the  i)rinciples  of  the  Democratic  party,  but  in 
local  affairs  casts  his  vote  in  favor  of  the  l)est 
man  for  the  office.  Although  nften  pressed  to 
become  a  candidate,  aside  from  serving  as 
treasurer  and  clerk  of  the  school  board,  he 
has  refused  to  engage  in  any  campaign  con- 
suming the  time  which  he  feels  is  required  by 
his  farming  interests.  Genial,  enterprising  and 
successful,  Mr.  Lill  is  a  man  nf  weight  in  the 
community,  and  one  who  enjoys  the  highest 
respect  (jf  all  who  know  him.  In  religious  be- 
lief, the  entire  family  are  consistent  members 
of  the  Congregational  church,  in  which  they 
are  active  workers. 


M 


R.  JAMES  ENOCH  LIGGETT, 
£)  I  proprietor  and  manager  of  the  L 
Ele\'ator  Company,  with  general 
offices  at  Wichita,  Kansas,  has  led  a  life  worthy 
of  emulation.  Thrown  upon  the  world,  a 
fatherless  boy  of  immature  years,  he  strove 
hard  to  make  his  own  living  and  at  the  same 
time  secure  an  education  which  would  fit  him 
for  better  things.  His  industry  and  tireless 
energy  were  crowned  with  success  far  in  ex- 
cess of  his  anticipations,  and  he  is  now  at  the 
head  of  the  company  mentioned,  which  operates 
elevators  in  various  towns  in  Kansas  and  Okla- 
homa, and  transacts  an  enormous  amount  of 
business. 

Dr.  Liggett  was  born  in  Howard  countv, 
Missouri,  May  i,  1858,  and  is  a  son  of  Marion 
Liggett,  a  farmer  by  vocation,  who  died  when 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  but  a  small  boy. 


The  latter  was  very  poor  but  ambitious  to  suc- 
ceed. He  turned  his  hand  to  whatever  he 
could  get  to  do,  and  in  1861  went  to  Oregon 
as  a  pioneer,  and  there  \vorkecl  at  various 
kinds  I  if  wiirk  until  he  had  accumulated  suf- 
ficient funds  to  finish  his  education.  Desirous 
of  beci.iming  a  ])hysician  and  surgeon,  he  re- 
turned to  Marshall,  Mis.souri,  and  stutlied 
under  Dr.  J.  B.  Davis.  He  was  graduated  from 
the  Ci)llege  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  at  Keo- 
kuk, Iowa,  in  1890,  and  practiced  a  short  time 
at  Marshall,  Missouri.  He  then  went  to  Guth- 
rie, Oklahoma,  and  engaged  in  practice.  The 
country  being  new  and  money  scarce,  he  was 
oftentimes  paid  for  his  services  in  cattle.  He 
had  them  herded  and  fattened  and  in  1898  they 
were  shipped  to  Eastern  markets,  numbering 
400  in  all.  He  then  bought  and  shipped  cattle 
and  in  1898  embarked  in  the  grain  business, 
Iniilding  an  cle\'ator  at  Hennessey,  Oklahoma, 
with  a  capacity  of  15,000  bushels.  His  success 
was  such  that  he  built,  in  1899,  elevators  at 
Dover,  Kechi,  Hayesville,  and  \^^ichita,  and 
now  has  one  at  Corbin.  The  one  at  Wichita 
has  a  capacity  of  35,000  bushels.  His  grain  is 
shipped  to  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  and  Galves- 
ton, Texas.  The  general  offices  of  the  company 
are  located  at  634  North  Market  street, 
Wichita. 

Dr.  Liggett's  marriage  was  contracted  with 
Lillie  B.  Remington,  a  daughter  of  William 
Remington  of  .Arrow  Rock,  Missouri,  and  thev 
had  three  children :  an  infant  son,  now  de- 
ceased;  Levia  L. ;  and  Luena  M.  Fraternally, 
he  belongs  to  the  Home  Forum  Benefit  order. 
Both   he  and   his   wife  are  members    of    the 


346 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


Cliristiaii  cliurch  of  Wichita,  Kansas.  A  por- 
trait of  Dr.  Liggett  appears  on  a  preceding 
page  in  jiroximity  to  this. 


(^Yr-LFONSO  M.  REICHENBERGER,  an 
f^A  energetic  and  prdsperous  farmer  and 
■^  Vi^  stock  raiser  of  Sherman  township. 
Sedgwick  county,  Kansas,  owns  a  fine  farm  in 
section  17.  He  was  born  in  New  York  City 
on  December  7.  1854,  and  is  a  son  of  Peter 
Reiclienberger.  and  a  grandson  of  Francis  Rei- 
chenberger,  the  latter  a  promint-nt  farmer  and 
soldier  of  Bavaria,  Germany.  The  maternal 
grandfather  was  a  surgeon  in  the  army  of  the 
great  Xapoleon,  and  was  born  in  a  house  which 
was  under  Ijombardment  at  the  time  of  his 
birth.  This  interesting  old  gentleman  died  in 
1888,  at  the  age  of  ninety-seven  years,  active 
and  mentally  competent  until  the  last. 

Peter  Reichenberger  came  to  .America  in 
1848,  settling  in  New  York  City,  where  he 
pursued  his  trade  of  cabinetmaker.  He  was 
one  of  the  first  foreigners  of  this  craft  to  settle 
in  this  country,  and  one  of  the  best.  At  one 
time  his  work  was  known  from  coast  to  coast, 
and  some  of  it  may  yet  be  found  in  several  of 
the  bank  buildings  of  San  Francisco.  He  was 
connected,  during  his  residence  in  New  York, 
with  one  of  the  largest  furniture  factories  in 
the  country.  l.ater,  he  came  to  Kansas,  took 
up  land,  afterwards  retired,  and  died  in  1898, 
at  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years,  leaving  a  large 
landed  estate  of  about  2,000  acres. 

In  1850,  Peter  Reichenberger  married  Bar- 


bara Lersch,  a  native  of  Alsace,  Ciermany, 
whose  mother  was  the  daughter  of  a  countess. 
To  them  were  born  the  following  children: 
Alfonso  M.,  Margaret,  Nicholas,  Joseph,  Peter 
and  Benjamin,  who  survive;  and  John,  Mary, 
Rosie,  Catherine,  Anna,  and  Michael,  deceased. 
Mrs.  Reichenberger  is  still  living,  and  resides  in 
Brown  county,  Kansas,  aged  sixty-eight  years. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  obtained  his  men- 
tal instruction  in  the  common  schools  of  New 
York  City,  and  in  Wayne  township,  Kansas, 
and  subsequently  learned  the  trade  of  a  cabinet- 
maker, at  which  he  worked  for  six  or  seven 
years.  On  account  of  his  health,  however,  he 
engaged  in  farming,  in  1874.  In  1885.  he  pur- 
chased a  farm  in  Reno  county,  and  resided  there 
until  1893,  when  he  bought  his  present  prop- 
erty. This  consists  of  400  acres  of  fine  land, 
adapted  to  the  raising  of  stock,  grain  and  hay. 
His  farm  and  buildings  are  in  excellent  condi- 
tion. 

In  1882  Mr.  Reichenberger  married  Barbara 
Mosier,  a  native  of  St.  Mary's,  Elk  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  to  their  union  the  following 
children  have  been  born :  Peter,  who  is  at  col- 
lege; Nicholas;  Mary;  Matilda;  Leo;  Marga- 
ret :  Martha ;  Dora ;  and  Theodore.  In  politics, 
Mr.  Reichenberger  is  a  stanch  Republican,  hav- 
ing served  most  acceptably  as  committeeman. 
He  was  a  candidate  for  representative,  on  the 
county  ticket,  but  was  defeated  by  a  small  ma- 
jority. Being  so  well  and  favorably  known  as 
a  man  of  the  highest  principles,  of  strict  integ- 
rity and  sterling  honesty,  no  more  suitable  can- 
didate could  be  selected  to  represent  the  inter- 
ests of  his  district  at  the  state  capitol.    If  merit 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


347 


is  to  l)e  the  criterion,  this  t^cntleman  is  worthy 
of  any  iionor  the  people  of  Sedgwick  county 
could  confer  upon  him. 


fSVOHN  REEVES,  a  prosperous  farmer  of 
Minneha.  Sedgwick  county,  Kansas,  liv- 
ing on  his  320-acre  farm,  the  east  half 
of  section  17,  township  2~ .  range  2,  east,  was 
born  in  McLean  county,  Illinois,  in  1842.  fie 
was  the  son  of  Owen  T.  and  Margaret  ( Bunn  ) 
Reeves.  The  father  died  when  John  was  but 
eight  vears  old,  and  the  mother  survived  until 
1898.  These  worthy  people  left  but  two  chil- 
dren, one  of  whom  is  the  sul)ject  of  the  present 
review,  and  the  other,  his  sister,  Mattie,  wdio 
lived  in  Illinois  at  the  time  of  her  mother's 
death.  Mrs.  Ree\-es  contracted  a  second  mar- 
riage, and  until  he  was  twent}'  years  of  age 
John  resided  at  home,  assisting  in  the  duties 
on  the  farm.  At  that  age  he  started  out  in  life 
for  himself,  his  principal  capital  being  a  willing 
pair  of  hands  and  a  strong  pair  of  arms  and 
a  determination  to  win  his  way  in  the  world. 

A  very  important  event  in  the  life  of  John 
Reeves  was  his  marriage  with  I'hebe  Kershaw, 
for  at  that  time  he  really  began  in  earnest  to 
grasp  the  realities  confronting  him.  He  rented 
a  farm  for  the  space  of  seventeen  years,  where 
he  continueil  to  reside  until  1883,  wdien  the  at- 
tractions of  the  West  induced  him  (o  remove 
to  Kansas.  He  located,  \\\)o\\  his  arrival  from 
Illinois,  in  the  fertile  county  of  Sedgwick, 
where  he  purchased  his  present  homestead, 
paying  for  it  the  sum  of  $3,500.    The  purchase 


was  made  of  \V.  D.  Smith,  but  the  land  had 
been  ])rcenipted  b_\'  a  lady  who  was  willing  to 
part  with  it.  There  John  Reeves  lived  for 
seven  years  in  the  small  house  already  upon  the 
place,  having  a  straw-covered  stable  for  his 
horses.  In  1891,  he  made  many  changes,  erect- 
ing a  substantial  and  comfortable  house,  28  by 
14  feet  in  the  main  part,  with  an  ell,  14  feet 
square,  the  structure  lieing  a  story  and  a  half 
high.  He  also  built  a  barn,  40  feet  square,  and 
all  the  requisite  outbuildings.  His  farm  is  all 
fenced,  well  improved,  and  planted  with  trees. 
His  orchard  of  [40  trees  may  become  almost  a 
gold  mine  in  value,  as  .some  of  the  finest  apples 
of  the  world  conie  from  the  state  of  Kansas,  and 
the  demand  never  ceases.  Mr.  Reeves  has  en- 
gaged in  the  raising  of  corn  and  oats,  and  has 
a  pasture  of  60  acres,  and  80  acres  in  hay. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Reeves  ha\'e  had  a  large  fam- 
ilv,  who  have  grown  up  around  them  and  some 
have  made  homes  of  their  t)wn.  The  members 
of  the  family  are:  Rose,  tleceased :  Charles,  a 
farmer,  of  Sedgwick  county;  Owen,  also  a 
farmer  in  the  same  county;  Mattie,  now  Mrs. 
Fennel,  of  Butler  county;  Edith,  now  Mrs. 
Harmon,  of  Wichita;  Emma,  a  dressmaker, 
living  in  Wichita;  Ralph,  a  blacksmith;  Elmer, 
a  traveling  salesman ;  and  Belle,  and  Mabel, 
who  are  at  home. 

Mr.  Reeves  is  a  self  made  man,  who  has  by 
his  own  efforts,  assisted  by  those  of  his  estima- 
ble wife,  earned  a  fine  home,  amassed  a  com- 
petence, and  won  the  respect  of  his  neighbors. 
He  has  been  a  member  of  the  school  board,  and 
always  takes  an  active  interest  in  the  public 
affairs  of  his  county  and  state.    In  religion,  the 


348 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


family  are  connected  with  the  M.  E.  cluircli, 
where  tlie  sterling  traits  of  character  which 
have  accomplished  so  much  for  Mr.  Reeves, 
financially,  serve  to  make  him  a  valued  mem- 
her. 


'OHN  M.  CAMPBELL,  deceased,  was  a 
well  known  and  highly  respected  farmer, 
of  Eagle  township.  Sedgwick  county, 
Kansas,  where  he  owned  320  acres  of  fine  land 
in  sections  2  and  3.  Me  was  Ixini  in  1S33. 
and  died  April  _'i.  iN<M-  1 'e  was  a  son  of 
John  and  Saraii  (Biggs)  Campbell,  both  of 
whom  were  natives  of  Westmoreland  county. 
Pennsylvania. 

John  Campbell  was  a  farmer  by  occupation, 
and  lived  in  Pennsylvania  throughout  liis  entire 
life.  He  and  his  wife  became  the  parents  of 
seven  children  :  Matthew  ;  Margaret :  Jolin 
M. ;  Hattie;  Jennie:  Joseph;  and  Theodore.  In 
political  belief,  he  was  a  Republican.  The 
church  relationship  of  his  family  was  with  the 
Methodist  denomination. 

John  M.  Campbell  left  his  native  county  of 
Westmoreland,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  had 
learned  the  trade  of  a  carpenter,  and  located 
in  Indiana.  He  followed  his  trade  in  Bluffton, 
and  throughout  W'ells  county  until  1862,  when 
he  enlisted  in  Company  B,  loist  Reg..  Ind. 
\'ol.  Inf.  He  served  faithfully  until  1865.  when 
he  was  honorably  discharged.  He  then  re- 
turned to  Indiana  and  worked  there  at  his  trade 
until  1871,  wdien  he  moved  to  Kansas  and  set- 
tled upon  the  farm  where  his  family  now  re- 
sides.   He  built  several  houses  in  the  township, 


in  addition  to  carrying  on  his  farm  work ;  but 
the  latter  years  of  his  life  were  devoted  entirely 
to  farming  and  stock  raising.  He  was  a  promi- 
nent man  and  respected  by  everyone  who  knew 
him.  Being  characterized  by  sterling  qualities, 
his  word  was  considered  as  good  as  his  l^ond, 
and  his  death  was  a  serious  loss  to  the  com- 
munity. 

Mary  Falk  became  his  wife  August  9,  1868: 
she  was  a  daughter  of  Albert  and  Catherine 
Falk,  and  was  born  in  Ohio.  They  became  the 
parents  of  four  children,  namely  :  Albert  M. : 
Rosanna  Z. :  William  S.,  who  is  in  the  Philip- 
pine Islands:  and  Minnie  V.  Religiously,  his 
family  belongs  to  the  United  Brethren  church. 
In  politics,  Mr.  Campbell  was  a  sturdy  sup- 
porter of  the  Republican  party. 


ERMAX  B.  TIHEN,  M.  D.,  has  been 
practicing  his  chosen  profession  in  An- 
dale,  Kansas,  and  vicinity  for  the 
past  few  years,  and  enjoys  an  enviable  reputa- 
tion as  a  careful  and  conscientious  young 
physician.  He  is  a  native  of  Jefferson  City, 
Missouri,  where  he  was  born  March  31,  1869, 
and  is  a  son  of  Herman  and  Angeline  Tihen. 
Dr.  Tihen  secured  his  early  mental  training 
in  the  common  and  select  schools  of  his  native 
town,  and  later  took  a  course  at  St.  Benedict's 
College  in  Atchison,  Kansas.  It  having  been 
his  intention  to  pursue  the  study  of  medicine, 
he  became  a  student  in  the  Medical  College  of 
Kansas  City.  Missouri,  in  1889,  and  continued 
there  until  his  graduation  in  the  spring  of  1893. 


UK.  JOHN   II.  FULLER. 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


351 


In  looking  over  tlie  field  for  a  place  to  locate, 
Dr.  Tihen  made  a  good  selecti(in  in  choosing 
Andale,  Kansas,  where  he  entered  upon  his 
practice  shortly  after  his  graduation.  He  has 
a  practice  which  extends  over^  an  area  of  30 
square  miles,  and  among  his  many  patrons  and 
his  fellow  physicians,  he  is  looked  upon  as  being 
one  of  the  most  skillful  and  prominent  men  of 
his  profession,  in  Sedgwick  county. 

In  1894,  Dr.  Tihen  was  joined  in  matrimony 
with  Ella  M.  Watson,  a  daughter  of  Nelson 
Watson,  who  is  now  deceased,  and  a  family  of 
three  children  were  born  to  this  happy  union : 
Henry  N.,  Irene  P..,  and  a  babe  who  died  in 
infancy.  Politically,  the  Doctor  is  a  stanch 
Democrat,  and  has  held  the  office  of  county 
physician. 


M 


R.  JOHN  H.  FULLER,  whose  por- 
trait is  shown  herewith,  has  gained 
much  prominence  as  a  physician  in 
the  city  of  Wichita,  Kansas,  and  is  a  member 
of  the  staff  of  physicians  of  both  the  hospitals. 
His  thorough  knowledge  of  medicine  together 
with  his  many  years  of  successful  practice,  has 
enabled  him  to  establish  a  large  clientele.  The 
Doctor  was  born  in  W^arrick  county,  Indiana, 
August  18,  1859,  and  is  the  thirfl  child  of  a 
family  of  eight  children  born  to  Benjamin  and 
Peniah  (Williams)  Fuller. 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Benjamin  Fuller  were 
natives  of  Warrick  county,  Indiana,  where  they 
still  reside  and  all  of  their  children,  with  the 
exception  of  our  subject  and  Elizabeth,  also 
make  their  home  in  that  county.     The  children 


born  to  them  were  named  as  follows:  James; 
William,  deceased  ;  John  H. ;  Walter ;  Charles ; 
Benoni ;  Hilbert;  and  Elizabeth  (Roth),  whose 
husband  is  manager  for  the  Studebaker  Manu- 
facturing Company  at  Columbus,  Ohio.  Mr. 
Roth  opened  the  office  at  Kansas  City  but  later 
returned  to  Columbus. 

Our  subject's  primary  education  was  ob- 
tained in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  town, 
but  it  was  later  supplemented  by  a  course  in 
Oakland  College,  from  which  institution  he 
was  graduated  in  1875  ^t  the  age  of  sixteen 
years.  At  this  period  in  his  life  he  had  reached 
a  decision  to  become  a  physician — and  had 
studied  medicine  to  a  large  e.xtent  with  that 
end  in  view ;  while  he  was  teaching  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  town,  he  continued  to 
prepare  himself  for  his  present  profession.  He 
taught  three  terms  in  all,  and  then  entered  the 
University  of  Kentucky,  at  Louisville,  and 
later  the  Kentucky  School  of  Medicine,  spend- 
ing in  all  four  years  in  medical  study  in  Louis- 
ville. From  the  latter  school  he  received  liis 
degree  in  1881,  his  class  consisting  of  80  mem- 
bers, which  was  the  largest  up  to  that  time  ever 
graduated  from  the  school.  Cannelton.  Indi- 
ana, was  his  first  field  of  practice,  and  he  re- 
mained there,  meeting  with  fair  success,  until 
1884,  when  he  changed  his  location  to  Stendal, 
Indiana.  He  continued  there  until  1893  when 
he  moved  to  W^ichita,  Kansas,  the  change  of 
location  being  mainh'  determined  by  the  poor 
condition  of  his  wife's  health,  which  at  once 
commenced  to  improve,  and  has  ever  since  con- 
tinued good.  The  Doctor  has  an  elegant  suite 
of  rooms  in  the  Bitting  Block,  and  has  enjoyed 


352 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


a  steady  gruwlli  in  i)r:icticc.  In  \vliatc\ci"  field 
lie  lias  heen  located,  he  has  always  met  with  a 
hi<;h  dep^ree  of  success;  in  W'icliita  he  is  classed 
aiiion_sf  the  foremost  of  his  profession  and  en- 
joys the  esteem  and  confidence  of  his  fellow 
physicians  and  many  clients.  1  le  is  well  and 
faviirahly  kndun  to  the  medical  fraternity  of 
the  city,  for  he  had  fnll  charL;'e  of  St.  Frances" 
Hosi)ital  for  a  ])criod  of  three  years  and  has 
since  been  on  the  staff  of  both  the  hospitals  of 
Wichita. 

Dr.  Fuller  was  married  to  Emcline  Hudson 
and  they  have  five  children,  the  eldest  of  whom 
was  five  years  of  age  when  they  moved  to 
Kansas.  They  are  named  as  follows :  Dolton 
H. ;  Dennis  M..  who  named  himself;  Cecil,  de- 
ceased; Robert;  and  a  baby  unnamed.  Polit- 
ically, the  Doctor  is  a  stanch  Democrat,  while 
in  religious  views  he  is  a  Presbyterian.  He 
belongs  to  the  1.  ().  ( ).  1\  :  M.  W.  of  A.;  and 
several  medical  societies. 


~r^     L1S11.\    J.    HLJ.LiL'RT.    deceased, 
pi  was    a    prosperous   and    highly    re- 

^  spected    citizen    of    Sherman    town- 

ship. Sedgwick  county,  Kansas,  who  settled  on 
a  farm  in  section  jo.  in  1873.  He  was  born 
in  Erie  county.  Xew  \uv\<,  on  July  20,  1840, 
and  was  a  son  of  Alonx.o  and  Credula  (Sum- 
ner)  Hulburt. 

The  father  was  a  carpenter  by  trade  and 
moved  from  New  York  State  to  Illinois,  set- 
tling near  Freeport.  where  he  worked  at  his 
trade  until   within  a   few  vears  of  his  death. 


The  parental  family  consisted  of  the  follow- 
ing children  :  Schubel ;  Elisha  J.  and  Elijah, 
twins;  Richard;  Delana;  and  Ellen.  Both  he 
and  bis  wife  were  extremely  liberal  in  their 
religious  views,  and  were  very  good  people. 

Elisha  j.  llnlhurt  was  instructed  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Illinois,  and  while  yet  a  young 
man  learned  the  tanner"s  trade,  which  he  fol- 
lowed for  live  years  in  Kalamazoo,  Michigan. 
After  serving  in  the  army,  he  spent  three  years 
as  a  farmer  in  lllionis.  and  then  removed  to 
Iowa  and  followed  the  same  occupation  for 
three  years  longer.  Having  heard  of  the  ad- 
vantages offered  by  Kansas,  Mr.  Hulburt  came, 
in  1873,  to  Sherman  township.  Sedgwick 
county,  where  he  and  his  wife  took  up  a  claim 
of  160  acres,  and  improved  it  until  it  became 
one  of  the  finest  farms  in  this  portion  of  the 
state. 

When  but  twenty-one  years  old,  Mr.  1  lulhurt 
enlisted  in  Company  A.  1  ith  Reg..  111.  Vol.  Inf., 
and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  rising 
from  the  ranks  to  be  first  lieutenant,  and  later 
was  brevetted  captain.  Among  other  engage- 
ments, he  ])articipated  in  the  siege  of  Vicks- 
burg  and  was  severely  wounded.  After  many 
weary  months  in  hospitals,  he  rejoined  his  regi- 
ment and  continued  at  the  post  of  duty  until 
the  bitter  strug.gle  was  ended.  He  was  a  brave 
soldier  and  well  liked  by  his  superior  officers, 
who  recognized  his  gallantry  and  his  conscien- 
tious de]iortment  as  an  ofiicer. 

Mr.  Hulburt  married  Sarah  J.  Cornelius, 
of  Freeport,  Illinois,  who  was  born  on  May 
26,  1844.  in  Union  county.  Pennsylvania,  being 
a.   daughter    of    J.    H.    and   Rachel     (Herr) 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


353 


Cornelius.  To  this  union  were  Ijorn 
three  children,  namely :  Ivan ;  and  Ella  and 
Inez,  deceased.  Ivan  married  Etta  A.  Bowers, 
of  Mount  Hope,  Kansas,  and  three  children 
have  been  born  to  them  :  Ella  and  Elsie,  twins, 
and  Lester,  who  died  in  infancy. 

In  religious  matters,  the  entire  familyadhered 
to  the  principles  of  the  Christian  church,  of 
which  they  were  members.  Mr.  Hulburt  was 
a  man  of  unusual  amiability  of  nature,  and 
kindness  of  demeanor.  Not  only  was  he  be- 
loved in  his  immediate  family,  but  the  entire 
community  recognized  his  admirable  qualities, 
and  at  his  funeral  manifested  their  grief  at  his 
untimely  demise.  This  good  man  was  taken 
away  on  October  31,  1894,  while  still  in  the 
prime  of  life.  In  the  Mount  Hope  Post,  G.  A. 
R.,  of  which  he  was  an  honored  member,  his 
memory  is  tenderly  cherished,  and  he  is  spoken 
of  as  a  shining  example  of  an  American  patriot. 


y-^^     DMOND    WHITING,   one   of    the 
R  most  prosperous  farmers  of  Greeley 

^"^  township,  Sedgwick  county,  Kansas, 

is  located  on  section  29,  range  3,  west,  where 
he  owns  160  acres  of  land. 

Mr.  Whiting  was  born  December  6,  1847,  ='' 
Camlachie,  Canada,  and  is  a  son  of  George  and 
Hannah  M.  (  Whitingham )  Whiting,  the  for- 
mer, a  native  of  Essex  county,  England,  and 
the  latter,  a  native  of  Yarmouth,  England. 
George  Whiting  with  his  wife  and  three  chil- 
dren immigrated  to  Canada,  about  1845,  -i"*^ 
settled  near  Sarnia,  where  he  purchased  a  farm 


and  lived  during  the  remainiler  of  his  life.  He 
was  a  very  successful  man  in  a  business  way, 
and  at  the  time  of  his  death  left  180  acres  of 
land  and  a  handsome  competency.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Whiting  were  parents  of  12  children,  of 
whom  1 1  are  now  living,  as  follows :  Henry 
G. ;  Frederick  C. ;  Rosie;  Julia;  Edmond; 
Frank  W. ;  Lucy;  Albert  C. ;  Alice;  Delhi  N. ; 
and  Ivan  C.  In  religious  attachments,  the  fam- 
ily were  members  of  the  Church  of  England. 
The  father  died  January  i,  1889,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-one  years,  three  months  and  tw^enty- 
nine  days,  and  the  mother  passed  away  March 
15,  1893,  'iged  seventy-five  years,  four  months 
and  twenty-one  days. 

Edmond  Whiting  availed  himself  of  the  facil- 
ities afforded  Ijy  the  public  schools  of  Canada, 
and  lived  at  home  until  his  seventeenth  year, 
when  he  began  to  work  out  by  tlie  iiKjnth.  In 
1864,  he  left  Canada  and  was  employed  in  the 
lumber  regions  of  Michigan,  and  was  also  en- 
gaged in  farming,  until  1875,  when  he  went 
west  to  Oregon.  He  was  occui)ied  in  gold 
mining  in  Grant  county,  and  also  in  freighting, 
receiving  $4.00  per  day  for  eight  hours'  work. 
There  he  remained  until  1880,  when  he  moved 
to  Sedgwick  county,  Kansas,  and,  having  saved 
considerable  money,  was  enabled  to  buy  his 
])resent  home  projiert}-.  To  his  original  pur- 
chase he  has  since  added  80  acres  in  section  20, 
and  80  acres  in  section  ij,  Greeley  tcnvnshi]), 
and  80  acres  in  Sherman  township,  all  of  which 
he  de\otes  to  general  farming.  He  is  a  suc- 
cessful manager  and  is  counted  one  of  the  sub- 
stantial men  of  the  county. 

In  1882,  Mr.  Whiting  was  joined  in  wed- 


354 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


lock  witli  Edith  L.  Tliompson,  a  dauglUer  of 
Daniel  Thompson,  of  Pittshurg,  Pennsylvania, 
who  moved  to  Cherry  Fork,  Adams  county, 
Ohio,  at  an  early  day.  Edith  E.  having  left  that 
place  for  Kansas  in  June,  1881.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Whiting  reared  tixc  cliildrcn,  namely:  Emma 
H. ;  Alice  1,.:  L.  IMmucIic;  George  D. ;  and 
Edmond'  W.  Mrs.  Whiting  is  a  member  of  tlie 
Christian  church.  In  political  affiliation,  Mr. 
Whiting  takes  his  stand  in  the  ranks  of  the 
Republican  party. 


T-^  HOMAS  POWERS  has  spent  his 
entire  life  in  pursuing  the  vocation  of 
an  agriculturist,  in  which  he  has  met 
with  the  best  of  success.  In  Sedgwick  county, 
Kansas,  he  is  the  owner  of  320  acres  of  highly 
tilled  farming  land,  which  comprises  the  south 
half  of  section  2~.  township  26,  range  2,  w-est. 
Mr.  Powers  is  of  sturdy  Irish  extraction,  his 
birth  having  occurred  in  Ireland  on  March  22, 
1840.  He  is  a  son  of  Michael  and  Mary 
(Neeley)  Powers. 

Michael  Powers  had  only  made  a  fair  live- 
lihood in  his  native  country,  and  therefore  de- 
cided upon  bringing  his  family  to  the  United 
States,  where  he  hoped  to  better  his  condition, 
and  where  he  expected  to  give  his  children  a 
more  favorable  start  in  life.  He  accordingly 
bade  farewell  to  his  native  country  in  1848, 
and  uixui  his  arrival  in  America  at  once  moved 
west,  to  the  state  of  Illinois,  where  he  spent 
his  remaining  days.  He  worked  out  as  a  day 
laborer,  and  was  a  reliable  and  faithful  work- 


man. .\s  a  result  of  his  marriage,  he  became 
the  father  of  three  children,  namely :  Mary, 
Maggie,  and  Thijmas.  By  a  previous  mar- 
riage, Mrs.  Powers  was  the  mother  of  two 
children, — a  son,  James,  and  a  daughter,  Annie. 
Her  first  husband's  name  was  Elbert.  Both 
of  Thomas  Powers'  parents  are  deceased. 

Mr.  Powers  obtained  his  early  mental  train- 
ing in  the  schools  of  the  community  where  his 
father  located,  and  while  still  a  young  man, 
his  patriotic  impulses  urged  him  into  the  strug- 
gle in  behalf  of  the' Union,  and  he  enlisted  in 
Company  H,  97th  Reg.,  111.  Vol.  Inf.  He 
fought  wtih  great  valor  and  during  the  three 
years  he  was  in  the  army  participated  in  many 
battles.  After  receiving  an  honorable  dis- 
charge, he  returned  to  Illinois  where  he  spent 
seven  years  engaged  in  the  cultivation  of  the 
soil ;  at  the  end  of  that  time,  in  1873,  he  decided 
upon  locating  in  Kansas.  With  what  few  pos- 
sessions he  had,  he  came  to  Sedgwick  county, 
and  settled  on  his  present  property.  As  his 
efiforts  were  crowned  with  success,  he  invested 
his  savings  in  mure  land,  and,  buying  from 
time  to  time,  succeeded  in  acquiring  320  acres 
of  land,  of  superior  quality  for  farming.  Mr. 
Powers  carries  on  general  farming,  and  is 
recognized  in  his  adopted  community  as  a  good 
neighbor  and  loyal  citizen.  He  is  one  of  Sedg- 
wick county's  most  substantial  farmers. 

Mr.  Powers  was  joined  in  wedlock  with 
Alice  Reed,  a  native  of  Illinois,  and  a  daughter 
of  Patrick  Reed.  As  a  result  of  this  union, 
a  family  of  five  children  was  born  to  them, 
named  as  follows:  Annie;  Michael;  Mary; 
Maggie ;  and  Alice,  who  died  in  infancy.     In 


r ,. 


MORRIS  J.  LOYD. 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


357 


relig'ion,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  faithful 
uiemlier  of  the  Roman  Cathohc  church,  l^iht- 
ically,  he  is  a  strong'  Democrat. 


1^  ORRIS  J.  LOYD,  an  influential  cit- 
izen of  Wichita,  Kansas,  now  cashier 
of  tlie  American  State  Bank, 
served  two  successive  terms  in  the  capacity  of 
treasurer  of  Sedgwick  county  in  a  most  effi- 
cient manner.  He  lias  been  a  resident  of  the 
city  off  and  on  since  1883  and  has  always  been 
interested  in  its  growth  and  development,  tak- 
ing rank  among  its  most  pul.ilic  spirited  citi- 
zens. 

Mr.  Loyd  was  born  in  Marshall,  Illinois,  in 
1 85 1,  and  is  a  son  of  Thomas  Loyd  and  grand- 
son of  John  Loyd.  His  grandfather  was  a  na- 
tive of  Pennsylvania,  but  after  his  marriage  re- 
moved to  Pickaway  county,  Ohio,  and  later 
'went  to  the  state  of  Illinois.  Thomas  Loyd  was 
born  in  Pickaway  county,  Ohio,  and  was  ten 
years  old  when  his  parents  located  in  Illinois. 
His  early  life  was  spent  in  Putnam  countv, 
Illinois,  on  a  farm  ;  when  beginning  active  work 
for  himself  he  engaged  in  farming  in  Marshall 
county,  Illinois.  He  continued  there  for  a  num- 
ber of  years,  and  then  engaged  in  mercantile 
business  in  Winona,  Illinois.  Ha\-ing  followed 
that  line  about  twelve  years,  he  moved  to 
Kansas,  in  1876,  locating  in  Valley  Center 
township,  Sedgwick  county.  He  had  a  farm 
of  505  acres  and  engaged  in  general  farming 
and  stock  raising  until  his  death  in  1885,  being 
then  sixty-five  years  old.     He  married  Louisa 


Strawn,  who  died  in  i860,  aged  thirty-six 
years,  having  given  birth  to  the  following  chil- 
dren :  Frances  A.  (Curley)  ;  Theodosia  (Tay- 
lor) ;  Alice,  who  died  in  1861  ;  Morris  J. ;  and 
Ira  D.,  who  also  died  in  1861. 

Morris  J.  Loyd  received  his  intellectual  train- 
ing in  the  iiulilic  schools  of  his  native  town,  and 
at  the  age  of  sixteen  years  went  to  work  in  his 
father's  store.  He  continued  there  until  the 
store  was  sold  in  1876,  and  in  that  year  came 
to  Kansas  and  engaged  in  farming  in  Keclii 
township,  Sedgvvick  county,  which  farm  he 
owned  until  he  sold  it.  in  looo.  In  1883,  he 
moved  to  Wichita,  and  one  year  later  went  to 
Garden  Plain,  where  he  engaged  in  the  lumber, 
coal  and  grain  business  for  eight  years,  selling 
out  to  the  Pond  Lumber  Company  in  1892. 
In  1896,  he  moved  back  to  Wichita  and  now  re- 
sides there.  Mr.  Loyd,  who  is  well  and  favor- 
ably known  throughout  Sedgwick  county,  was 
elected  county  treasurer  in  1895  ^^d  was  re- 
elected in  1897;  'le  is  a  stanch  Republican  and 
an  active  worker  in  the  party. 

The  American  State  Bank,  of  which  Mr. 
Loyd  is  cashier,  has  its  banking  office  at  the 
corner  of  Douglas  and  Topeka  avenues.  This 
institution  opened  its  doors  to  the  patronage  of 
the  public  on  December  4,  1900,  with  a  capital 
stock  of  $50,000.  Its  officers  and  directors  are 
as  follows:  W.  C.  Norcross,  president;  S.  S. 
Findley,  vice  president:  M.  J.  Loyd,  cashier; 
Hiram  Norcross,  attorney:  W.  C.  Norcross, 
M.  J.  Loyd,  H.  W.  Darling,  S.  S.  Findley. 
R.  E.  Lawrence,  A.  W.  Wise,  J.  S.  Wallace, 
R.  E.  Goodrich,  and  Hiram  Norcross,  directors. 

Mr.  Loyd  was  united  in  marriage  with  Cora 


358 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


(i;irrisoii,  a  daiijjiiter  ni  Dr.  1.  I'.,  (larrison  of 
Albany,  Missouri,  ami  tlicv  iia\e  three  chil- 
dren: Mabel:  Charles  G. ;  and  Marry  M.  A 
portrait  of  Mr.  Loyd  accom])anies  this  .sketch, 
being  presented  nn  a  preceding  page. 


•rp,—  ^  KANCrS  M.  STAMBACK,  one  of 
Kj  the  representative  farmers  of  Eagle  town- 
shiji.  Sedgwick  county,  Kansas,  is  the 
owner  I  if  large  landed  interests  in  that  town- 
ship, lie  was  burn  Dcceinber  3.  1849,  and  is 
a  .son  of  Elijah  K.  and  Jeniinia  I  McElhaney) 
Stamback,  and  grandson  of  David  Stamback. 

The  great-grandfather  of  Francis  M.  was  a 
soldier  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  being  in 
the  army  of  General  LaFayette,  with  whom  he 
came  to  this  country.  David  Stamback  was  a 
native  of  I'ranklin  county,  in  the  western  part 
of  \'irginia,  and  during  his  early  life  learned 
the  trade  of  a  wheelwright.  He  moved  to  Ten- 
nessee at  an  early  day,  but  owing  to  the  hostility 
of  the  Indians  returned  to  his  native  state. 
After  following  his  trade  there  for  some  time, 
he  moved  to  Preble  county.  Ohio,  where  he 
lived  until  his  death,  niany  years  later.  He  was 
the  father  of  four  children,  namely :  William, 
Sarah,  Catherine,  and  Elijah  K.  In  religious 
views  they  were  Methodists.  I'dlitically,  David 
Stamback  was  a  Democrat. 

Elijah  K.  Stamback,  father  of  Francis  M., 
was  born  in  Preble  county,  Ohio,  in  1826,  and 
his  early  mental  training  was  secured  in  the 
public  schools  of  Gettysburg,  Ohio.  He  was 
reared  on  his  father's  farm  and  continued  to 


li\e  there  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty- 
six  years,  when  he  left  home  and  took  up  his 
residence  in  Huntington  county,  Indiana.  He 
spent  fourteen  years  in  that  state,  engaged  in 
agricultural  i)ursnits,  and  at  the  end  of  that 
period  moNcd  to  Pike  county,  Illinois.  He  con- 
tinued in  the  same  line  of  work  there  for  four- 
teen years,  (jr  until  the  si)ring  of  1880,  w  hen  he 
disposed  of  his  possessions  in  Pike  county;  and 
moved  west  to  Sedgw'ick  county,  Kansas,  w-here 
he  purchased  325  acres  in  section  5,  Sherman 
townshij).  He  still  owns  this  property,  which 
he  has  developed  into  some  of  the  best  farming 
land  in  the  county,  lie  is  engaged  in  general 
farming,  and  raises  grain  of  all  kinds,  hogs,  and 
cattle.  He  was  united  in  marriage  with  Jemima 
AIcElhaney,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  McElhaney, 
who  was  a  native  of  h^ranklin  county.  X'irginia, 
and  they  became  the  parents  of  the  following 
children  :  Francis  M.,  William,  ( icorge  W..  ;uk1 
Thomas. 

Francis  M.  Staml)ack  was  born  in  Gettys- 
burg, Ohio,  and  received  his  early  mental  train- 
ing in  the  public  .schools  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  and 
Illinois.  He  remained  at  hcime  imtil  he  was 
twenty  years  of  age,  when  he  rented  land  on 
which  he  carried  on  farming  until  1878.  He 
then  removed  with  his  family  to  Sedgwick 
county,  Kansas,  and  located  on  his  present  farm 
in  Eagle  township,  where  the  house  he  first  built 
is  still  standing,  as  a  relic  of  the  pioneer  days 
of  the  state.  It  is  a  fine  farm  in  all  its  ap- 
ixiintments,  and  ranks  with  the  l)est  in  the 
county.  In  addition  to  this  land,  he  owns  160 
acres  in  section  18,  Valley  Center  township,  and 
80  acres  in  section  5,  Sherman  township.     He 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


359 


is  engaged  in  general  farming  and  also  raises 
a  very  high  grade  of  stock.  He  imported  a 
Percheron  stallion,  and  the  results  have  proved 
equal  to  his  expectations. 

In  1869,  Mr.  Stamback  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Isabelle  Kendrick,  a  daughter  of  S. 
G.  Kendrick,  she  being  a  native  of  Pike  county, 
Illinois,  and  her  parents  being  of  Irish  nativity. 
The  union  resulted  in  the  following  children : 
Susie,  Mina.  Samuel,  Dora,  Elijah,  Charles, 
Leonard,  Lloyd,  Jeremiah,  Edith,  and  William 
O.,  who  died  in  infancy.  The  first  four  were 
born  in  Pike  county,  Illinois,  and  the  others  in 
Sedgwick  county.  Kansas.  Politically,  Mr. 
Stamback  is  a  Populist  and  has  held  a  number 
of  township  ofifices.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
United  Brethren  church. 


/^^  EORGE  \V.  STAMBACK  has  fol- 
\  3Y  '°^^'^'^  ^^^  occupation  of  a  farmer  all 
his  life,  and  is  the  owner  of  a  fine  farm 
of  160  acres  in  section  6,  Sherman  township, 
Sedgwick  county,  Kansas.  There  lie  ranks  as 
one  of  the  enterprising  citizens  of  the  com- 
munity. He  was  born  in  February,  1858,  in 
Huntington  county,  Indiana,  anrl  is  a  son  of 
Elijah  K.  Stamback,  and  grandson  of  Da\-id 
Stamback. 

The  great-grandfather  of  George  \\'.  Stam- 
back was  a  soldier  in  the  Revohitionarv  War, 
serving  in  the  army  under  LaFayette,  whom  he 
accompanied  to  this  country.  He  was  the  only 
one  of  his  family  to  immigrate  to  this  country. 


David  Stamback  was  a  native  of  l^'ranklin 
county,  Virginia,  and  during  his  early  life 
Icai'ned  the  trade  of  a  wbeelwrigiit.  In  his  early 
manhood,  lie  moved  to  the  state  of  Tennessee, 
but  owing  to  the  hostility  of  the  Indians  was 
obliged  to  return  to  Virginia.  There  he  fol- 
lowed his  occupation  for  some  time,  and  when 
he  again  moved  he  located  in  Preble  county, 
Ohio,  where  he  lived  manv  years,  and  where 
he  died.  He  was  the  father  of  four  children, 
namely:  William,  Sarah,  Catherine,  and  Elijah 
K.  In  religious  views,  the  family  were  devoted 
members  of  the  Methodist  church,  while  in  pol- 
itics, Mr.  Stamback  was  a  firm  Democrat. 

Elijah  K.  Stamback  was  born  in  Preble  coun- 
ty, Ohio,  in  1826,  and  his  early  schooling  was 
obtained  in  the  schools  of  Gettysburg,  Ohio. 
He  lived  on  his  father's  farm  until  he  was 
twenty-six  years  of  age,  when  he  left  it  to  make 
his  home  in  Huntington  county,  Indiana.  He 
spent  fourteen  years  as  a  farmer  in  that  state, 
and  at  the  end  of  that  period  moved  to  Pike 
county,  Illinois,  and  there  passed  another  four- 
teen years  in  the  same  vocation.  In  the  spring 
of  1880,  he  disposed  of  his  possessions  in  Pike 
county,  and  moved  west,  to  Sedgwick  count v, 
Kansas,  where  he  purchased  525  acres  of  land  in 
section  5,  Sherman  township.  This  property  he 
still  owns  and  has  developed  into  one  of  the 
finest  farms  in  the  county,  raising  grain  of  all 
kinds,  as  well  as  hogs  and  cattle.  He  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Jemima  McElhaney,  a 
daughter  of  Samuel  McElhaney,  a  native  of 
Franklin  county.  \'irginia,  and  they  were  the 
parents  of  four  children :  Francis  M.,  William, 
George  W.,  and  Thomas. 


S60 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


Gcorpe  W.  Stamback  received  a  common 
school  education  and  liveil  in  Pike  county,  Il- 
linois, until  his  parents  moved  to  SedgAvick 
county.  Kansas.  1  Ic  accompanied  them  to  that 
state,  and  shortly  after  liis  arrival  hou.ijht  i6o 
acres  of  fine  farming-  l;md.  The  property  is 
located  in  section  6.  Sherman  township,  and 
general  farming  has  been  his  chief  occupation 
since  taking  possession  of  it.  He  has.  however, 
taught  school  for  five  years,  during  the  winter 
months.  He  is  a  good  business  man  and  farmer, 
and  he  has  a  wide  circle  of  friends,  who  recog- 
nize him  as  an  honest  and  upright  citizen. 

Mr.  Stamback  wedded  Eva  Talbert,  of  New 
Canton.  Illinois,  and  they  have  five  children; 
Ross,  Eva.  Jennie.  Amy.  and  Ethel.  Politically, 
Mr.  Stamback  has  always  been  a  Democrat.  In 
religious  affairs,  like  his  parents  and  grand- 
parents, he  has  favored  the  Methodi.st  church. 


T-^  IIOM.VS  j.  SMITH  is  a  well  known 
and    highly    respected    citizen    of    Eagle 
township.     Sedgwick     county.     Kansas, 
where  he  owns  2oy  acres  of  land  in  section  35. 
He  was  born  May  20.    1S37,  and  is  a  son  of 
David   G.   and   Mary    (John.son)    Smith. 

Thomas  Smith,  David  G.'s  father,  was  born 
in  \^irginia,  where  he  became  the  owner  of  a 
large  plantation.  L;itcr.  he  sold  out  and  moved 
to  Ohio,  where  he  rented  land  from  the  I'.  .'^. 
Government  and  improved  a  line  farm,  wliicli 
he  cultivated  during  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
In  the  War  of  181 2,  he  was  drafted,  but  the 
conflict  ended  before  he  entered  the  service. 


He  married  Elizabeth  Gander,  a  native  of 
Virginia,  and  they  were  the  parents  of  the  fol- 
lowing children :  Xancy,  Israel,  Samuel, 
David,  Sarah,  Martin.  Thomas.  John  L..  Re- 
becca. Harriet,  Elizabeth,  Mary  ]..  Isaac, 
George  J.,  and  Benjamin.  In  religious  belief, 
Mrs.  Smith  was  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
church. 

David  G.  Smith,  father  of  the  gentleman 
whoes  name  heads  these  lines,  remained  at 
home  with  his  parents  in  Ohio,  where  he  was 
born,  until  he  attained  man's  estate.  He  then 
started  in  life  on  his  own  account.  He  went 
to  Indiana,  where  he  entered  a  government 
tract,  on  which  he  was  engaged  in  farming 
throughout  his  entire  life.  He  was  a  good, 
substantial  citizen,  and  lived  to  reach  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  .seventy-nine  years.  His  widow 
still  lives  at  the  age  of  eighty- four  years.  They, 
became  the  parents  of  five  children:  Thomas 
J..  Benjamin  C.  Mary  E..  I.saac  .V..  and  Martha 
E.     Both  were  members  of  the  Baptist  church. 

Thomas  J.  Smith  received  a  ])ul)lic  school- 
ing in  Ohio  and  Indiana,  and  began  active  life 
at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  by  renting  and 
cultivating  a  fanri.  Eight  years  later,  in  1869, 
he  homesteaded  his  present  land,  which  he  has 
since  tilled  with  great  success.  He  is  a  man 
of  high  standing  in  his  community  and  enjoys 
the  highest -esteem  of  ever3-one  with  whom  he 
comes  in  contact. 

Mr.  .Smith,  in  1861.  was  united  in  marriage 
with  .Minerva  Lynn,  a  native  of  Indiana,  and 
a  daughter  of  James  Lynn.  The  issue  of  their 
marriage  was  four  children,  viz. :  Benjaniin 
C. ;  Mary  A. ;  Martha  P. ;  and  one  who  died  in 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


361 


infancy.  Benjamin  C.  is  deceased.  Mary  A. 
is  the  wife  of  C.  L.  Baird,  of  Eagle  township, 
by  whom  she  has  one  son,  Amasa  S.  Martha 
F.  married  William  Pocock,  and  has  three 
children;  W.  Harold,  Mary  F.,  and  Gertrude. 
Religiously,  Mr.  Smith  is  a  Baptist.  He  is  a 
Populist  in  political   affiliations. 


7T^  HARLES  G.  STRONG  is  one  of  the 

I  Jj  most  prosperous  and  substantial  farm- 
^^  "^  ers  in  Sedgwick  county.  Kansas, 
where  he  has  been  following  that  occupation 
for  many  years.  His  fine  farm  of-i6o  acres  is 
situated  in  Sherman  township,  consisting  of  the 
southeast  quarter  of  section  4.  He  was  born 
May  5.  1832,  in  Northampton.  Massachusetts, 
and  is  a  son  of  Charles  and  Marilla  (Groves) 
Strong,  both  of  whom  were  natixes  of  Massa- 
chusetts. 

Charles  Strong  was  a  farmer  throughout  his 
entire  life,  and.  although  he  never  accumulated 
any  great  amount  of  property,  was  prominent 
in  the  community  where  he  lived.  He  was 
born  in  1806,  and  died  in  187 1.  having  been 
twice  married.  His  first  marriage  was  with 
Marilla  Groves,  and  Charles  G.  was  their  only 
child,  the  mother  passing  away  from  this  life 
when  he  was  an  infant.  The  second  wife  of 
Charles  Strong  was  Emjly  Todd,  by  whom  he 
had  three  children,  namely :  Lucy,  who  was 
joined  in  marriage  with  Richard  Horton.  of 
Massachusetts,  and  now  resides  in  Fort 
Wayne,  Indiana;  Andrew  J.,  who  lives  in 
Northampton,  Massachusetts;  and  Emma.     In 


religious  views,  the  father  was  liberal,  while 
his  first  wife  was  a  Congregationalist,  and  his 
second,  a  Baptist. 

Charles  G.  Strong  attended  the  public  schools 
of  his  native  town,  and  during  his  early  youth 
worked  out  on  a  farm  by  the  month.  When 
twenty-three  years  of  age.  he  went  to  Min- 
nesota, where  he  located  in  Wabasha  county, 
but  he  had  not  remained  there  long  until  he 
enlisted  in  the  Union  Army,  the  date  of  his 
enrollment  being  January  16,  1862,  when  he 
became  a  private  in  Company  H.  5th  Reg. 
Minn.  Vol.  Infantry.  He  served  in  that  com- 
pany for  three  years,  after  which  he  was  dis- 
charged on  account  of  disability;  returning  to 
Minnesota,  he  purchased  his  father-in-law's 
farm,  which  he  operated  for  four  years.  He 
then  sold  out,  and  going  to  Sedgwick  county, 
Kansas,  he  homesteaded  160  acres  of  land  in 
section  4,  Sherman  township,  which  he  has  cul- 
ti\ate(l  ever  since.  After  many  years  of  hard 
labor  he  has  succeeded  in  getting  his  property 
into  an  excellent  state  of  cultivation,  and  raises 
a  yearly  average  of  800  bushels  of  wheat  and 
3,000  bushels  of  corn.  He  also  raises  hogs  and 
cattle,  and  has  been  very  successful  in  his  oper- 
ations since  taking  up  his  residence  in  the  Sun- 
flower State.  He  is  a  good  citizen  and  neigh- 
bor, and  enjoys  a  wide  circle  of  friends  in  the 
community  where  he  has  resided  so  long. 

Mr.  Strong  was  joined  in  matrimony  July  2t,. 
1864.  with  Elizabeth  Eddie.,  a  daughter  of  John 
and  Jane  (Seaton)  Eddie,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  Scotland,  and  who  came  to  this 
country  with  their  parents,  when  quite  young. 
A   family  of  six  children   resulted    from  this 


863 


BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD 


miii'in,  namely:  Clarence  W. :  I'lninia  M.;  Mel- 
vin  F. ;  Ella  F. ;  and  William  and  Alvin,  de- 
ceased. Mr.  Strong  and  his  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Christian  church.  In  politics,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  Republican. 


H.  COLLINS  has  had  many  years  of 
experience  in  conducting  a  general 
store,  in  which  he  has  met  with  good 
success.  l"or  the  jiast  year  he  has  been  oper- 
ating one  of  the  leading  stores  in  Colwich, 
Kansas,  fie  is  a  man  of  many  business  traits, 
to  which  is  largely  due  his  prosperity.  He  has 
a  wide  circle  of  friends,  who  know  him  to  be 
honest  and  straightforward  in  all  his  dealings. 
He  is  a  native  of  Salem,  North  Carolina,  where 
he  was  born  October  12.  1859,  and  is  a  son  of 
William   K.   Collins. 

William  K.  Collins  was  also  born  in  North 
Carolina,  and  throughout  his  entire  life  pur- 
sued the  vocation  of  a  farmer.  He  was  a 
soldier  in  the  Confederate  .Vrmy  and  was  killed. 
in  battle  in  1864.  After  his  death.  Mrs.  Col- 
lins moved  with  her  family  to  Centerville, 
Iowa,  where  she  resided  until  her  marriage 
to  James  Collins,  S.  B.  Collins'  uncle.  They 
then  moved  to  Kansas,  in  1878,  and  located 
upon  a  farm  near  Winfield.  There  she  lived 
until  her  death  in  1884,  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
four  years.  Her  maiden  name  was  Catherine 
Huff,  and  she  was  also  a  native  of  North 
Carolina.  By  her  first  husband  she  had  sev- 
en children,  namely:  Laura;  Sarah;  Vic- 
toria; Amanda;  Je.ssie;  Christian:  and   S.   B. 


Her  second  unirin  resulted  in  the  birth  of  the 
following  children:  John;  William;  Ida;  and 
Ella.     In  religious  views,  she  was  a  Baptist. 

S.  B.  Collins  attended  the  public  school  in 
Centcr\ille,  Iowa,  until  he  attained  the  age  of 
seventeen  years,  and  then  began  to  earn  his  own 
livelihood,  although  he  still  lived  at  home. 
After  his  mother's  death,  he  went  to  Nebraska, 
where  he  purchased  a  farm,  which  he  cultivated 
for  a  period  of  eight  years.  He  then  sold  his 
farm  and  entered  upon  his  career  as  a  store- 
keeper. He  opened  his  first  store  at  Haigler, 
Nebraska,  where  he  carried  on  a  good  business 
for  four  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time,  he 
moved  west,  to  Colorado,  and  again  started  in 
mercantile  business,  in  the  town  of  Gillett, 
which  is  in  the  Cripple  Creek  mining  district. 
He  continued  in  business  there  for  six  years, 
when  he  again  sold  out,  and  in  1900  moved  to 
Colwich,  Kan.sas.  where  he  established  himself 
in  the  same  business.  In  his  store  he  has  the 
best  of  goods  and  one  plain  proof  of  that  fact 
is  that  he  has  built  up  a  large  and  substantial 
trade.  He  is  an  obliging  and  courteous  sales- 
man and  is  well  deserving  of  his  large  patron- 
age. He  carries  a  full  line  of  teas,  coffees  and 
spices,  groceries,  clothing,  boots  and  shoes,  and 
dry  goods. 

Mr.  Collins  was  married,  in  1881,  to  Dora 
M.  Sanders,  of  Eureka,  Kan.sas,  a  daughter  of 
Burrill  Sanders,  and  to  this  happy  union  five 
children  have  been  born  :  Mabel,  deceased  ;  Bur- 
rill;  Jessie;  Clifford;  and  Maxwell.  The  last 
three  children  are  now  in  school,  while  Burrill, 
the  eldest  son,  is  a  bright  and  active  young  man, 
occupying  a  position  as  timekeeper  and  book- 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


363 


keeper  for  the  Colorado  Springs  &  Cripple 
Creek  District  Railway  Company.  Burrill  grad- 
uated from  the  Florence  Academy  of  Florence, 
Colorado,  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  and  has 
an  exceptionally  bright  futnre  in  store.  In 
politics,  Mr.  Collins  is  a  Repnblican.  and  while 
a  resident  of  Gillett,  Colorado,  his  fellow  cit- 
izens elected  him  to  the  office  of  mayor,  which 
office  he  filled  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  all, 
and  was  elected  for  a  .second  term.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  Lodge  No.  jog,  of 
Haigler,  Nebraska.  Althongh  he  has  been  a 
resident  of  Colwich  bnt  a  short  time,  both  he 
and  his  wife  have  made  many  warm  friends. 


ysV      'iwake 


ALTER  L.  McDowell,  a  wide 
iwake  and  energetic  business  man  of 
the  village  of  Colwich,  Kansas,  is 
engaged  in  general  merchandising,  and  is 
recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  business  men 
of  that  town.  He  has  been  thus  engaged  ever 
since  the  boom  in  Kansas,  and  carries  only  that 
class  of  goods  which  give  the  best  satisfaction 
to  his  many  patrons.  He  was  born  near  Men- 
dota,  Illinois,  October  31,  1859,  and  both  his 
father  and  grandfather  were  named  James  Mc- 
Dowell. 

The  grandfather  and  parents  of  Walter  L. 
were  natives  of  Stark  county,  Ohio,  where  the 
former  resided  many  years.  James  McDowell, 
the  father  of  W^alter  L.,  was  twice  married, 
and  had  one  child  by  his  first  wife.  His  second 
wife  was  Margaret  Porter,  and  bis  union  with 
her  resulted  in  five  children,  as  follows :  Rob- 


ert, and  Eliza,  deceased;  Walter  L. ;  William, 
a  resident  of  Illinois;  and  Frank,  a  resident  of 
Webster  City,  Iowa.  In  religious  views,  the 
famil)-  were  Presliyterians.  The  father  died 
in  iSjt),  aged  fifty-f(jur  years,  and  his  widow 
passed  from  this  life  in  \S^J^„  at  the  same  age. 

Walter  L.  McDowell  possesses  a  good  prac- 
tical education,  the  more  useful  part  of  which 
he  obtained  as  a  result  of  many  years  of  thor- 
ough business  experience,  although  during  his 
early  youth  he  attended  the  public  schools  of  his 
nati\e  town,  and  subsequently  pursued  a  nor- 
mal course  at  the  state  normal  college  in  Mor- 
ris, Illinois.  During  the  winter  of  1884-1885, 
he  taught  school  in  Illinois;  but  when  the 
boom  in  Kansas  began,  he  came  to  Sedgwick 
county  and  located  in  Colwich,  where  he  has 
been  ever  since.  He  continued  teaching,  and 
after  he  had  taught  three  terms  then  engaged 
in  mercantile  pursuits,  wdiich  he  has  successful- 
ly followed  up  to  the  present  time. 

He  carries  a  high  class  of  dry  gods,  gro- 
ceries and  Ixiots  and  shoes,  and  his  customers 
are  not  confined  to  the  village  in  which  he  op- 
erates his  store,  but  come  from  all  parts  of  the 
surroundin^g  country,  in  which  he  has  estab- 
lished a  good  trade.  Mr.  McDowell  is  a  capable 
business  man,  and  handles  only  that  class  and 
cjuality  of  merchandise  which  satisfies  his 
numerous  patrons.  In  l)oth  business  and  social 
circles  he  is  a  favorite. 

Walter  L.  McDowell  was  united  in  marriage, 
in  1 886.  to  Fannie  Shaw,  who  was  born  near 
Peoria,  Illinois.  Her  parents  were  natives  of 
Massachusetts,  and  were  direct  descendants  of 
John  and  Priscilla  Alden,  who  came  to  Amer- 


364 


BIOGRAPHICAL  IIeCORD 


ica  ill  the  "Maytlnwcr."  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mc- 
Dowell are  the  parents  of  five  children,  namely  : 
Lee  J.;  Isahelle:  Elsie  M. ;  Gertrude  M. ;  and 
Oscar.  In  politics,  Mr.  McDowell  is  a  stanch 
Repuhlican. 

In  1894.  the  Porter  family  held  a  reunion 
at  their  old  homestead  in  Ohio  and  two  peculiar 
facts  were  in  evidence.  One  was  that  there 
were  four  Margaret  Porters  who  married  four 
brothers  of  the  McDowell  family.  The  second 
was,  that  of  the  53  voters  present.  51  were  affil- 
iated with  tlie  Republican  party. 


.A.RTIN  B.  HEIN,  a  prominent  and 
prosperous  citizen  of  Andale,  Kan- 
sas, has  been  a  resident  of  that 
village  since  1886,  during  which  ])eriod  he  has 
been  actively  engaged  as  a  blacksmith,  which 
trade  he  learned  during  his  early  manhood.  He 
was  born  in  McHenry  county,  Illinois,  on  July 
12,  i860,  and  is  a  son  of  Michael  and  Elizabeth 
(Hilger)    Hein. 

Michael  Hein,  who  was  a  native  of  Germany, 
sailed  for  the  United  States  in  1848,  and  upon 
his  arrival  immediately  settled  in  McHenry 
county,  Illinois,  where  he  purchased  a  fine  piece 
of  farming  land.  His  farm  was  located  near  the 
village  of  Johnsburg,  where  he  was  well 
known.  In  later  years  he  lived  in  Sedgwick 
county,  Kansas,  where  he  continued  to  pursue 
the  vocation  of  a  farmer.  His  wife  was  also 
a  native  of  Germany,  and  to  them  were  born  the 
following  children:  Jacob,  Martin  B.,  Kate, 
John,  Peter,  Mary,  William,  Joseph,  Elizabeth, 


Michael,  Theodore,  and  Nicholas.  In  politics, 
he  was  a  stanch  Democrat,  while  in  religious 
views  he  was  a  devoted  member  of  the  Catholic 
church,  as  were  the  members  of  his  family. 
He  died  in  1886.  aged  sixty-eight  years,  and 
Mrs.  Hein  makes  her  home  with  her  son,  Mar- 
tin r...  and  has  attained  the  age  of  si.\ty-two 
years. 

Martin  B.  Hein  received  his  elementary  in- 
struction in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
town,  and  in  October,  1876.  accompanied  his 
parents  to  Sherman  township,  SedgAvick  coun- 
ty, Kansas,  where"  they  purchased  160  acres  in 
section  25.  In  1879,  '^^  commenced  to  learn 
the  trade  of  a  blacksmith — serving  an  ap- 
prenticeship of  four  years,  and  for  several  years 
traveled  about,  working  at  his  trade.  In  1886. 
he  moved  to  Andale,  and  started  a  shop  of  his 
own  at  the  corner  of  Anderson  and  Magnolia 
streets.  He  has  continued  there  ever  since, 
and  has  established  a  general  blacksmithing 
trade.  He  also  does  all  kinds  of  machine  work 
and  carriage  repairing.  In  his  shop  he  has  two 
forges  which  are  constantly  in  use.  His  patron- 
age extends  throughout  the  village  and  im- 
mediate vicinity.  Mr.  Hein  is  an  active  and 
energetic  man,  a  practical  blacksmith,  and  en- 
joys a  wide  popularity  throughout  his  adopted 
county. 

In  1886,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Anna  K.  Saam.  a  native  of 
Minnesota  and  a  daughter  of  Casper  Saam. 
and  they  have  seven  children,  who  were  named 
as  follows:  Peter  M.,  Nicholas  C,  William  P., 
Dora  G.,  Edward  K..  Mary  M.,  and  Valentine 
N.    In  politics.  Mr.  Hein  is  a  stanch  Democrat, 


TM-. 

NEW  YORK 

f  PUBLIC  LIBRARY' 

Astor,  Lenox  and  J'Mtn  j 
Foundations. 


MR.  AND  MRS.  JOHN  SPRINGOB. 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


367 


although  in  local  campaigns,  he  supports  the 
candidate  wlimn  he  deems  the  fittest.  His  fel- 
low citizens  have  manifested  their  confidence  in 
him  by  electing  him  to  the  office  of  notary  pul)- 
lic  for  a  term  of  two  years,  and  to  that  of  jus- 
tice of  the  peace  for  four  terms,  of  two  years 
each. 


(^OHN  SPRINGOB.  an  infincntial  and 
highly  respected  farmer  of  Waco  town- 
ship, Sedgwick  county,  Kansas,  who  has 
amassed  a  handsome  fortune  after  many  years 
of  hard  labor,  is  a  typical  salt  made  man,  hav- 
ing started  out  in  life  without  a  dollar.  He  has 
always  been  honest  and  upright  in  all  his  busi- 
ness transactions,  for  which  he  has  gained  the 
esteem  and  confidence  of  all  who  know  him, 
and  throughout  the  county  he  has  a  very  ex- 
tensive acquaintance.  He  was  born  in  West- 
phalia, Germany,  May  7,  1833,  and  is  a  son  of 
Everett  and  Theresa  (Helnar)  Springob.  His 
father,  who  was  a  day  laborer,  died  in  1851, 
while  his  mother  passed  from  this  life  in  1864. 
They  were  the  parents  of  the  following  chil- 
dren :  Frank,  who  still  lives  in  the  old  country  ; 
Elizabeth,  who  was  married  to  John  Boyer,  is 
deceased,  as  is  he  also ;  John ;  and  IMinnie,  wlio 
is  the  wife  of  Chester  Korte.  both  residing  in 
the  old  country. 

John  Springob  lived  at  home  until  1867, 
when,  on  August  24th,  he  came  to  the  LJnited 
States  and  for  the  first  year  worked  at  Detroit, 
Michigan.  From  there  he  wandered  west  to 
Kansas,  where  he  spent  several  years  in  Pot- 
tawatomie county.    In  1872,  he  moved  to  Waco 


township,  Sedgwick  county,  where  he  bought 
the  northwest  half  of  section  7,  and  as  the  land 
was  all  raw  prairie  it  was  some  time  before  he 
had  it  in  first  class  condition,  hut  by  hard  and 
constant  labor  he  succeeded  in  getting  his  farm 
under  a  fine  state  of  cultivation.  He  erected 
fine  buildings,  set  out  many  trees,  and  made  it 
his  home  until  1895,  when  he  purchased  his 
present  property.  As  his  efforts  were  being 
crowned  with  success,  he  succeeded  in  actjuir- 
ing  considerable  land,  and  his  first  earnings 
were  used  to  purchase  80  acres  in  section  7  in 
the  year  1887.  He  later  bought  80  acres  in 
section  8,  and  still  later  he  bought  land  in  sec- 
tions 4,  5,  7,  and  9,  until  at  this  writing  he  owns 
560  acres  in  Waco  township,  though  the  ex- 
tent of  his  possessions  in  Sedgwick  county 
amount  to  880  acres.  In  1896,  Mr.  Springob 
built  his  present  residence  besides  making 
numerous  other  improvements.  General  farm- 
ing and  stock  raising  are  our  subject's  chief 
pursuits,  in  which  he  has  attained  the  highest 
degree  of  success,  being  an  honor  to  his  chosen 
occupation. 

Mr.  Springob  was  joined  in  marriage  No- 
vember 22.  1864.  in  Prussia,  to  Mary  Ann 
Scholty,  a  native  of  Prussia,  and  a  daughter 
of  Peter  and  Mary  Elizabeth  (Drexeleus) 
Scholty,  both  natives  of  Prussia.  Her  father 
died  in  1890,  while  her  mother  died  in  1851. 
Our  subject's  wife,  who  was  the  youngest  in 
the  family,  had  the  following  brothers  and 
sisters :  Joseph,  deceased  ;  Theo. ;  Peter,  a  farm- 
er in  Illinois  township,  this  county;  and  Eliza- 
beth, who  died  in  1871.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Spring- 
ob are  the  parents  of  six  children.    Joseph,  the 


368 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


eldest,  was  born  in  Germany  in  1866  and  for 
the  past  seven  years  lias  been  at  St.  Anthony's 
Convent  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  Kate,  who  was 
born  in  1870,  is  the  wife  of  Leonard  Meckman, 
who  is  manager  of  the  car  shops  at  St.  Charles, 
Missouri ;  they  have  six  children,  namely  :  Fred, 
Joseph,  John,  Viola,  Richard  and  Matilda. 
Elizabeth  was  born  August  5,  1872,  and  is  a 
sister  in  St.  Mary's  Hospital  at  Oshkosh,  Wis- 
consin. Peter  B.  was  born  November  19,  1874, 
and  married  Susan  Jansen,  and  is  engaged  in 
farming.  Josephine,  born  December  2,  1876,  is 
a  sister  in  St.  Joseph's  Hospital  at  Marshall, 
Wisconsin.  Annie,  the  youngest  child,  was 
born  March  20,  1885,  and  is  at  home.  All  the 
children  of  Mr.  Springob  received  good  edu- 
cations. Our  subject  is  a  strong  Democrat. 
Religiously,  he  is  a  devoted  member  of  the 
Catholic  church.  An  engraving  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Springob  is  shown  on  a  preceding  page 
in  proximity  to  this. 


,  ^   .  ,  ,       ILLIAM  OVERMAN,  a  prosper- 


Cv 


ous  citizen  of  Sedgwick  county,  Kan- 
sas, has  pursued  the  vocation  of  a 
farmer  the  greater  part  of  his  life.  He  is  now 
located  in  Sherman  township,  where  he  owns 
190  acres  of  highly  improved  land,  situated  in 
sections  3  and  34,  Sherman  and  Greeley  town- 
ships, respectively.  He  was  born  April  15, 
1839.  at  Salem,  Washington  county,  Indiana, 
and  is  a  son  of  William  and  Mary  (Hemby) 
Overman. 

William  Overman.  Sr.,  was  born  in  North 


Carolina,  but  went  to  the  state  of  Indiana  with 
his  parents,  and  when  he  reached  manhood  fol- 
lowed farming  in  Washington  county.  He  died 
tliere  when  his  son,  William,  was  a  mere  lad, 
having  been  esteemed  throughout  his  commu- 
nity as  an  honest  and  upright  citizen.  As  a  re- 
sult of  his  union  with  Mary  Hemby,  the  fol- 
lowing children  were  born :  Thomas,  Marian, 
Abigail,  Lydia,  Elizabeth,  William,  James, 
deceased,  and  Mary  Ann.  In  religious  convic- 
tions, the  family  were  Methodists. 

William  Overman,  the  son,  attended  the 
common  schools  of  his  native  town  in  Indiana, 
and  when  he  had  attained  the  age  of  twenty- 
three  years  enlisted  in  the  Union  Army,  be- 
coming a  member  of  Company  F.,  2d  Reg., 
Ark.  Vol.  Infantry.  He  underwent  twenty- 
two  months  of  service,  received  an  honorable 
discharge,  and,  returning  to  his  native  state, 
engaged  in  farming,  remaining  there  until 
1872.  In  that  year,  Mr.  Overman  moved  west, 
to  Kansas,  where  he  purchased  80  acres  in 
Greeley  tow^nship,  Sedgwick  county,  and,  as 
he  had  good  success  from  the  very  start,  was 
soon  able  to  buy  iio  acres  more,  which  is  lo- 
cated in  Sherman  township.  He  is  very  suc- 
cessful in  raising  wheat,  corn  and  oats,  and  de- 
votes much  attention  to  the  raising  of  hogs  and 
cattle.  In  his  community,  he  is  regarded  as 
one  of  its  most  substantial  and  enterprising 
farmers. 

Mr.  Overman  was  married,  in  1S69,  to 
Mary  Hankey,  a  native  of  Indiana  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  H.  Hankey.  To  this  happy  union 
nine  children  were  born,  of  w'hom  the  follow- 
ing seven  are  still  living:  John  H.,  Harry  L., 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


369 


Cora,  Libbie,  Bertram,  Katie,  and  Leslie.  In 
politics,  Mr.  Overman  is  an  earnest  Republican, 
while  in  religious  views,  he  favors  the  Metho- 
dist church.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  belongs 
to  the  G.  A.  R.,  S.  Gilbert  Post,  No.  354,  of 
Mount  Hope,  Kansas. 


ON.  D.  A.  MITCHELL,  one  of  the 
substantial  citizens  of  Sedgwick 
county,  Kansas,  is  judge  of  the  po- 
lice court  of  the  city  of  Wichita.  He  was  born 
in  Perry  county,  Pennsylvania,  May  18,  1829, 
and  is  a  son  of  John  ^litchell,  and  grandson 
of  David  Mitchell. 

David  Mitchell  was  born  in  County  Armagh, 
Ireland,  and  came  to  America  in  1802,  locating 
in  Perry  county,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  contracting.  Before  he  left  his  native 
country,  he  married  Jane  Paul,  who  died  at 
sea,  on  the  way  over.  They  were  parents  of 
two  children:  John,  and  Esther  (Johnson). 

John  Mitchell  was  born  in  Ireland,  January 
I,  1798.  After  undergoing  his  mental  train- 
ing, he  learned  the  trade  of  a  cabinetmaker, 
in  Perry  county,  Pennsylvania.  In  1856,  he 
removed  to  Iowa,  locating  near  Bonaparte,  Van 
Buren  county,  where  he  resided  until  his  death 
at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years  and  seven 
months.  He  married  Mary  Leidigh,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  seventy  years.  The  following 
children  were  reared  under  their  union :  David 
A. ;  John  P. ;  George  U. ;  Samuel  I. ;  H.  Levi ; 
Benjamin  E. ;  Joseph  E. ;  Calvin  E. ;  Mary  J. 
(Weaver);     and    Bertha    (Seward).     Politi- 


cally, John  Mitchell  was  originally  a  Whig, 
and  afterward,  a  Republican.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  served  as 
ruling  elder. 

David  A.  Mitchell  obtained  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  Perry  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  at  La  Fayette  College,  at  Easton, 
Pennsylvania,  also  in  Dr.  Vanderver's  semin- 
ary. He  then  taught  school  for  five  years,  and 
in  1854  went  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where  he  was 
clerk  in  a  large  commission  house.  During  the 
time  he  was  thus  employed,  he  also  studied 
law.  In  1 86 1,  he  began  business  for  himself, 
manufacturing  the  Fountain  brand  of  fine  cut 
tobacco,  and  continued  in  this  line  until  1S71. 
when  he  sold  out.  In  that  year  he  came  to 
Wichita,  Kansas,  and  built  the  home  in  which 
he  has  since  resided,  having  enlarged  it  at  dif- 
ferent times.  He  was  elected  justice  of  the 
peace  in  1873,  ^'i<J  was  three  times  reelected, 
serving  until  1881.  He  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  at  Wichita.  He  was  appointed  police  judge 
in  July,  1898,  and  has  since  filled  that  ofirce 
in  a  most  capable  manner. 

Judge  Mitchell  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Sarah  E.  Greason,  by  whom  he  has  two  sons : 
J.  Dewight,  a  graduate  of  Lewis  Academy,  of 
Wichita,  and  of  the  mechanical  engineering  de- 
partment of  Washington  University,  at  St. 
Louis,  with  the  class  of  1893  ;  and  D.  Diamond, 
who  is  now  pastor  of  the  Goodrich  Avenue 
church,  in  St.  Paul,  Minnesota.  He  is  a  gradu- 
ate of  Lewis  Academy,  and  graduated  from 
Yale  University,  with  the  class  of  1895,  ^nd 
from  McCormick  Theological  Seminary  of 
Chicago,  with  the  class  of  1898.     Fraternally, 


370 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


the  sulijccl  of  this  sketch  is  a  nicniber  of  the 
I.  O.  O.  I'".,  and  is  a  thirty-second  degree  Mas- 
on. Religiously,  he  is  a  Presbyterian,  and  is 
a  ruling  elder  in  the  church. 


"ir~x  K.  G.  C.  PURDUE,  one  of  the  most 

j-^— I  iin  luiiiicnt  physicians  and  surgeons  of 
'"'^"-^  Sedgwick  cmuity.  Kansas,  has  been 
engaged  in  practice  at  Wichita  since  1887.  lie 
has  a  large  general  practice  and  is  physician 
and  surgeon  for  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa 
Fe  Railway  and  the  St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco 
Railroad. 

Dr.  Purdue  was  born  at  Newburg.  Indiana, 
and  is  a  son  of  Jarrctt  G.  Purdue,  a  native  of 
Tennessee.    Dr.  Purdue  received  his  early  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  of  Warrick  and 
Spencer  counties,  Indiana,  and  studied  medi- 
cine under  Dr.  A.  M.  Owen,  of  Evansville,  In- 
diana.    He  attended  college  in  the  last  named 
town,  and  taught  school  for  about  six  years  as 
a  means  of  completing  his  education.     He  en- 
tered upon  his  career  as  a  practitioner  at  Evans- 
ville,  Indiana,   in    1880,   and   continued  there 
with  some  success  until  1887.     In  May  of  that 
vear  he  located  in  Wichita.  Kansas,  where  he 
has  since  practiced.     He  is  engaged  in  general 
practice  and  makes  a  specialty  of  surgery,  in 
which  line  he  has  been  successful  beyond  an 
ordinary  degree.     His  practice  is  one  of  the 
largest  in  the  county.     He  has  been  identified 
with  the  medical  staff  of  the  Wichita  Hospital 
since  its  organization.     He  is  a  member  of  the 
International  Association    of    Railway    Sur- 


geons, the  Kansas  State  Medical  Association, 
the  South  Kansas  Medical  Association,  and  the 
Oklahoma  Territory  Medical  Association.  He 
has  served  as  secretary  of  the  Kansas  State 
Medical  Association  for  six  years. 

Dr.  Purdue  was  united  in  marriage  with 
lunma  Garwood,  by  whom  he  had  two  chil- 
dren, twins,  namely:  Lelia  and  Laura,  de- 
ceased. Politically  he  is  a  strong  supporter  of 
the  Republican  party.  Fraternally  he  belongs 
to  the  A.  F.  &  A.  W.,  Albert  Pike  Lodge,  No. 
303.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Scottish 
Rites,  thirty-second  degree,  and  belongs  to  the 
K.  of  P. 


H' 


DGAR  ALLEN  DORSEY,  one  of 
Wichita's  prominent  citizens,  is  an 
extensive  real  estate  dealer.  He  is 
a  man  of  great  energy  and  enterprise,  and,  be- 
ing endowed  with  good  judgment  and  fore- 
sight, has  met  with  iniqualified  success  in  this 
business.  He  was  born  in  New  York  State, 
April  3,  1 85 1,  and  is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Julia 
(Vaughn)  Dorsey. 

Thomas  Dorsey,  his  grandfather,  was  born  in 
Belfast,  Ireland,  and  with  his  wife  immigrated 
to  America,  settling  in  Montreal,  Canada, 
where  he  died  in  middle  life.  Henry  Dorsey, 
father  of  Edgar  Allen,  was  born  in  Montreal, 
and  received  his  mental  training  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Vermont.  He  learned  the  trade 
of  a  blacksmith  and  followed  it  imtil  1856, 
when  he  removed  to  Iowa.  Then  in  addition 
to  his  trade  he  applied  himself  to  farming  un- 
til the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War,  when  he  en- 


*^f 


JAMES  E.  WATTG. 


SEDG\VICK  COUNTY 


373 


listed  in  Company  A,  8th  Iowa  Vol.  Cav.  He 
was  in  the  service  for  two  and  a  half  years, 
and  then  returned  to  his  home  in  Clarinda, 
Iowa.  He  was  elected  treasurer  of  Page  county 
and  served  in  that  capacity  for  six  years,  after 
which  he  engaged  in  the  real  estate  husiness  as 
agent  for  August  Corhin,  of  Xew  York  City. 
He  became  a  very  prosperous  man,  and  upon 
his  death  left  an  estate  valued  at  $60,000.  He 
died  in  1878,  at  the  age  of  fifty-five  years.  His 
first  wife  was  Julia  Vaughn,  a  native  of  Bur- 
lington, Vermont,  by  whom  he  had  two  sons, 
Edgar  Allen  and  Arthur,  wlio  died  in  1889  at 
Wichita.  After  the  death  of  his  wife,  he 
formed  a  second  union,  wedding  Mary  Wall, 
of  Iowa,  by  whom  he  had  seven  children : 
Henry,  Julia,  Hart,  Happy.  Minnie,  Samuel, 
and  Sarah.  His  second  wife  died,  and,  in 
course  of  time,  he  married  Letitia  Hall. 

Edgar  Allen  Dorsey  recei\ed  his  early  men- 
tal instruction  in  Iowa,  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen 
years  left  home  and  located  in  Illinois,  where 
he  completed  his  education  in  Shurtleff  College. 
After  attending  that  institution  for  two  years, 
he  engaged  in  farming  during  the  summer 
months  and  taught  school  in  the  winter.  Thus 
he  continued  until  1872,  when  he  moved  to 
Kansas,  taking  up  a  quarter  section  of  land  in 
Union  township,  where  the  town  of  St.  Mark  is 
now  located.  After  remaining  there  for  six 
years,  he  left  his  farm  and  became  county  clerk, 
to  which  office  he  was  elected  in  the  spring  of 
1878.  He  was  twice  reelected,  serving  in  all 
six  years.  He  ran  for  the  state  senate  in  1884, 
but  was  defeated.  He  next  engaged  in  the 
milling  business,  and  also  dealt  in  real  estate 


until  1 89 1,  with  much  success.  He  then  en- 
tered the  office  of  the  county  treasurer,  where 
he  continued  for  seven  and  a  half  years.  In 
January,  1899,  he  again  returned  to  the  real 
estate  and  loan  business,  making  large  loans  on 
farming  property.  He  has  a  large  acquaint- 
ance throughout  the  county,  and  is  held  in  the 
highest  esteem  by  all  with  whom  he  is  brought 
into  contact,  both  in  business  relations  and  in 
the  personal  walks  of  life. 

In  1874  Mr.  Dorsey  was  joined  in  marriage 
with  Helen  A.  Avery,  of  Union  township,  and 
they  became  parents  of  the  following  children  : 
Nellie,  Maggie,  Eva,  Kate  and  FeVn.  In  poli- 
tics the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  strong  sup- 
porter of  the  Democratic  party.  Religiously  he 
is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  a  member  of  Wichita  Lodge,  No. 
99,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  Consistory  No.  2,  hav- 
ing taken  all  the  degrees  to  the  thirty-second 
inclusive. 


•AMES  E.  WATTS,  deceased,  was  for 
many  years  a  prominent  and  influential 
farmer  of  Eagle  township,  Sedgwick 
county,  Kansas.  He  stood  very  high  in  the 
community  in  which  he  lived,  was  a  man  of 
exceptional  business  ability,  and  accumulated 
considerable  property  during  his  life.  Mr. 
Watts  was  born  December  17,  1851,  and  was 
a  son  of  Fielden  Watts,  and  a  grandson  of 
George  Watts. 

George  W^atts  was  born  in  the  vicinity    of 
Frankfort,   Kentucky,  and  moved  to  Indiana 


374 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


with  his  family,  liomesteading  laml  to  tlic  ex- 
tent of  160  acres.  Tliis  he  culti\nted  during 
the  remainder  of  liis  Hfe,  being  a  verj'  indus- 
trious man.  In  religious  belief,  he  was  liberal, 
and  in  politics  was  a  pronounced  Democrat. 
He  married  Martha  Jones,  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky. 1)\-  w  hum  he  had  tlic  following  children  : 
William ;  Silas :  Fielden ;  Marian ;  Pearline ; 
Caroline ;  and  Evaline. 

Fielden  Watts,  the  father  of  James  E.,  was 
born  in  Kentucky,  and  went  to  Indiana  with 
his  parents,  there  receiving  his  intellectual 
training.  Upon  reaching  maturity,  he  pur- 
chased a  farm,  which  he  cultivated  for  some 
time,  and  then  sold  out,  and  rented  a  piece  of 
farming  land.  His  first  wife  was  Elizabeth 
Mullinix,  and  they  had  the  following  children: 
George  W. ;  Angeline ;  Cordelia  ;  James  E. ; 
and  Frank.  His  second  wife  was  Martha  Trale, 
a  native  of  Indiana,  and  they  had  one  son, 
Fielden,  Jr. 

James  E.  Watts  was  reared  by  his  uncle, 
Silas  Watts,  who  was  a  minister  of  the  United 
Brethren  church.  He  attended  common  school 
in  Putnam  county,  Indiana,  and  at  the  age  of 
seventeen  years  started  out  on  his  own  account. 
He  first  worked  by  the  month,  and  then  sold 
goods  from  a  wagon,  buying  and  selling  prod- 
uce. He  was  with  Frank  M.  Watts,  in  that 
county,  for  about  one  year  and  then  engaged  in 
farming.  I  Ic  then  started  west  with  J.  E.Elliott, 
with  whom  he  li\ed  until  his  marriage.  He 
then  rented  property  and  lived  upon  it  until  his 
removal  to  the  present  family  homestead  in 
Sedgwick  county,  Kansas.  He  died  one  year 
later,  in  1896.    He  was  considered  one  of  the 


best  farmers  and  most  substantial  citizens  of 
Eagle  township,  and  his  death  was  mourned 
by  all  who  knew  hiiu. 

In  1S88,  Mr.  Watts  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Rachel  .\.  julinson.  who  was  born  Janu- 
ary 31,  1 86 1,  a  daughter  of  John  E.  and  Miche 
Johnson.  Her  father  was  a  native  of  Ohio, 
but  removed  to  I'utnani  county,  Indiana,  with 
his  family,  locating  at  Reelsville,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  railroad  work.  Several  years  later  he 
purchased  a  farm  and  is  now  devoting  his  time 
to  general  farming.  He  married  Miche  John- 
son, a  daughter  of  Levi  Johnson,  and  they  be- 
came the  parents  of  10  children:  Harmon; 
Thomas;  Rachel  A.;  Elmer;  Tillman;  Mont- 
gomery; Sherman,  deceased;  Mary,  deceased; 
Frazie,  deceased ;  and  one  who  died  in  infancy. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Watts  became  the  parents  of  the 
following  offspring:  Ethel  May;  Leota  Gay; 
Roscoe;  and  .\nna  V.,  who  died,  aged  one  year 
and  five  days.  In  religious  views,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  was  liberal.  Politically,  he  was 
a  stanch  Populist.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  A  portrait  of 
Mr.  Watts  accompanies  this  sketch. 


M 


R.  PEMBROKE  S.  THOMAS,  one 
of  Wichita's  most  prominent  and  suc- 
cessful physicians  and  surgeons,  is 
half  owner  of  the  Martha  Washington  Home, 
of  that  city.  He  is  one  of  the  most  learned  men 
of  his  profession  in  the  state,  having  been  a 
student  during  all  his  years  of  practice,  and  hav- 
ing also  attended  lectures  in  various  medical 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


375 


colleges,  thus  keeping  abreast  of  the  times  in 
the  rapid  development  of  medical  science. 

Dr.  Thomas  was  born  in  Virginia..  He 
spent  his  boyhood  days  near  Charleston,  West 
Virginia,  and  there  received  his  primary  educa- 
tion. He  pursued  his  academic  course  at  Car- 
bondaie.  West  Virginia,  and  his  collegiate 
studies  in  the  N.  N.  University,  at  Lebanon, 
Ohio.  His  first  medical  course  was  in  the 
Louisville  Medical  College,  of  Louisville, 
Kentucky,  where  he  graduated.  He  has  taken 
four  post  graduate  courses,  two  in  Tulane  Uni- 
versity, Louisiana,  one  at  the  Polyclinic  College 
at  New  Orleans,  and  one  at  the  Polyclinic  Col- 
lege in  Chicago.  His  first  practice  was  at  Mai- 
den, West  Virginia,  and  in  1887,  he  went  to 
Florida.  He  was  on  the  state  board  of  health, 
serving  during  the  time  of  the  epidemic  of  yel- 
low fever,  in  1888- 1889.  Li  the  latter  part  of 
1889,  he  located  in  New  Orleans,  Louisiana, 
and  was  on  the  hospital  medical  staft",  in  addi- 
tion to  handling  a  general  practice.  On  ac- 
count of  failing-  health,  he  was  obliged  to  leave 
the  South,  and  in  June,  1893,  he  settled  in 
Wichita,  where  he  has  since  engaged  in  general 
practice.  Fraternally,  he  is  a  member  of  the 
y\ncient  Order  of  Lhiited  Workmen;  Odd  Fel- 
lows ;  and  Elks. 

The  Martha  Washington  Home,  in  which 
Dr.  Thomas  owns  a  half  interest,  is  a  private 
hospital,  established  l)y  Dr.  J.  W.  Shults  and 
himself,  in  1898.  The  home  is  situateil  on  the 
corner  of  Tenth  and  St.  Francis  streets,  in  the 
mtist  beautiful  and  healthful  residence  portion 
of  Wichita,  commanding  a  view  of  the  sur- 
rounding territory  for  many  miles.    It  contains 


35  rooms,  is  equipped  with  all  modern  sanitary 
C(5nveniences,  and  is  elaborately  furnished 
throughout.  It  was  constructed  by  Dr.  Bur- 
leigh at  a  cost  of  $17,000,  exclusive  of  the 
spacious  grounds  bought  by  doctors  Thomas 
and  Shults.  These  gentlemen  are  assisted  by 
a  staff  of  Wichita's  most  noted  physicians  and 
surgeons,  oculists  and  aurists.  The  hospital 
is  ])n)vi(led  with  experienced  nurses,  and  every 
f;icility  is  afforded  for  taking  the  best  care  of 
the  sick. 


/^*^  EORGE  T.  CUBBON,  who  has  long 
1  ^T  been  one  of  the  leading  business  men 
of  Wichita,  is  now  serving  as  chief  of 
the  police  department  of  that  city.  He  was 
born  in  Liverpool,  England,  in  1856,  and  is  a 
son  of  Captain  Thomas  and  Margaret  (Quay) 
Cubbon. 

Capt.  Thomas  Cubbon,  father  of  George  T., 
was  born  and  reared  on  the  Isle  of  Man.  He 
talked  the  Manx  language,  and  for  twenty 
years  followed  a  seafaring  life  as  captain.  In 
1859  he  was  captain  of  the  "Vixen,"  and  made 
the  run  from  Liverpool  to  Australia  in  ninety- 
six  days,  a  wonderfully  fast  trip  for  that  i)eriod. 
Capt.  Cubbon  came  to  America  in  1856,  and 
a  few  years  later  located  on  a  farm  near  Ga- 
lena, Illinois,  where  he  followed  farming  for 
about  thirty  years.  He  is  now  living  a  retired 
life  in  the  city  of  Galena.  He  married  Mar- 
garet Quay,  who  died  in  1897,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-six  years.  Sex'en  children  were  reared 
from  this  union,  namely:  Jennie  (Mitchell), 
deceased;  Maggie  (McKenna)  ;  Matilda  (Bea- 


376 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


ton) ;  Bertha  (Lacy)  ;  George  T. ;  William  E., 
who  resides  on  a  farm  near  Galena,  Illinois; 
and  John  J.,  who  lives  in  Nora,  Nebraska. 

George  T.  Cubbon  was  in  early  infancy  when 
brouglit  to  this  country  by  his  parents.  His 
mental  training  was  obtained  in  tlie  public 
schools  of  Jo  Daviess  county,  Illinois,  and  at 
Rock  River  Seminary.  In  1877  he  went  west, 
to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  was  engaged  for 
five  years  in  prospecting  and  mining.  In  1882 
he  returned  to  Illinois  and  was  occupied  in 
farming  for  a  period  of  six  years.  He  sold  out 
in  1888  and  moved  to  Wichita,  Kansas,  where 
he  has  since  resided.  He  established  a  grocery 
store  and  has  since  followed  that  business,  most 
of  the  time  in  connection  with  a  partner.  At 
present  he  is  associated  with  F.  N.  Moore,  with 
whom  he  has  been  in  partnership  since  1898. 
They  have  a  large  store,  cater  to  the  best  class 
of  trade,  and  enjoy  a  good  patronage. 

Mr.  Cubbon  was  joined  in  marriage  with 
Ethel  A.  Cooper,  and  they  are  the  parents  of 
three  children  :  Ray  H.,  Florence  A.,  and  Nora 
L.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  member  of 
the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  and  of  the 
Tontine  Benefit  Association.  In  politics  he  is 
a  strong  Republican,  and  was  a  member  of  the 
city  council  in  1898.  Since  September,  1899, 
he  has  been  chief  of  the  police  department  of 
Wichita. 


"TTp^^RED  W.  DOLD.  an  esteemed  citizen 

Rl    of  Wichita,  is  manager  of  the  Jacob  Dold 

Packing     Company,     one    of  Wichita's 

largest  business  interests.      He  was    bom  in 


Buffalo,  New  York,  in  1872,  and  is  a  son  of 
Jacob  Dold.  He  received  his  educational 
training  in  the  Buffalo  schools,  and  began  very 
early  under  his  father's  supervision  to  devote 
himself  to  business  pursuits.  Entering  his  fath- 
er's concern,  the  Jacob  Dold  Packing  Company, 
liie  son  served  in  every  department  from  the 
very  lowest,  and  still  bears  the  scars  of  his  early 
work.  At  the  age  of  twenty  years  he  became 
a  stockholder,  and  October  i,  1899.  was  elected 
manager  of  the  Wichita  branch  of  the  Buffalo 
house. 

This  extensive  enterprise  was  conceived  and 
carried  into  execution  by  Jacob  Dold,  who  be- 
gan his  business  career  as  a  poor  boy.  Very 
early  in  life  he  began  trading  in  cattle,  selling 
both  the  beef  and  hides,  and  enlarging  his  field 
of  operation  until  he  founded  the  well  known 
and  substantial  stock  company  that  bears  his 
name,  in  1888.  In  the  same  year,  a  branch  was 
established  at  Kansas  City,  the  Wichita  house 
was  also  founded,  the  plant  being  a  very  sub- 
stantial one.  The  buildings  are  of  stone  and 
brick,  from  two  to  four  stories  in  height,  and 
fitted  with  every  modern  improvement  in  the 
packing  house  line.  In  1900,  the  only  frame 
building  left  was  replaced  by  a  more  commo- 
dious brick  structure.  By  the  system  of  sew- 
erage and  manufactured  air,  all  odors  are  dis- 
posed of,  and  the  entire  establishment  is  kept 
in  excellent  order.  The  capacity  of  the  plant  is 
1,500  hogs,  1,000  sheep,  and  500  cattle,  killed 
daily,  a  specialty  being  made  of  pork.  Nearly 
all  of  the  product  is  disposed  of  to  surrounding 
towns  and  cities,  and  the  live  stock  is  gathered 
from  Kansas.     The  demand  for  the  product  of 


^W  YORK 
.^IC  LIBRARY  1 


rounHations. 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


379 


this  concern,  however,  necessitated  the  estab- 
lishment, in  1897,  of  a  brancli  house  in  Okla- 
homa City,  Oklahoma,  and  the  following  year, 
of  one  at  Ardmore,  Indian  Territory. 

The  pay  roll  bears  the  names  of  250  men  at 
the  Wichita  house,  and,  taking  all  the  houses 
into  consideration,  employment  is  given  to 
many  thousands  of  people.  The  stockkholders 
and  ofificials  of  this  company  are  composed  en- 
tirely of  Jacob  Dold  and  his  sons,  not  a  single 
share  of  the  stock  being  owned  outside  of  the 
family.  The  officers  of  the  company  are  Jacob 
Dold,  president;  Jacob  C.  Dold,  first  vice-presi- 
dent; George  P.  Dold,  second  vice-president; 
Albert  W.  Dold,  treasurer;  Edward  F.  Dold, 
secretary;  and  Fred  \V.  Dold,  manager  of  the 
Wichita  branch. 

Fred  W.  Dold  is  a  very  popular  and  enter- 
prising young  business  man,  enjoys  the  re- 
spect and  esteem  of  all  with  whom  he  conies 
in  contact,  and  has  a  high  reputation  for  busi- 
ness ability.  He  is  a  Knight  Templar  and  a 
thirty-second  degree  Mason.  Being  at  the  head 
of  so  large  and  progressive  an  industry,  Mr. 
Dold  naturally  is  an  important  factor  in  the 
business  life  of  Wichita,  but  he  bears  his  hon- 
ors quietly,  and  a  brilliant  future  awaits  him. 


LBERT  LEICHHARDT,  whose  por- 
trait is  presented  on  the  opposite  page, 
is  one  of  the  most  prominent  and 
influential  farmers  of  Sedgwick  county,  Kan- 
sas, where  he  has  been  a  resident  since  the 
summer  of  1872;  he  was  the  very  first  to  take 


up  a  claim  in  Afton  township.  His  home  is 
located  in  section  27,  on  the  northeast  quarter, 
and  farming  and  stock  raising  have  constituted 
his  occupation  from  the  beginning  of  his  active 
career.  He  was  born  in  Berlin,  Germany,  Oc- 
tober 10,  1834,  and  is  a  son  of  Herman  A.  and 
Doris  (Clauson)  Leichhardt. 

Herman  A.  Leichhardt  was  a  native  of  Prus- 
sia, where  he  continued  to  live  until  1848, 
when  he  came  to  the  United  States.  He  was  a 
porcelain  merchant,  and  two  years  before  com- 
ing to  this  country  had  a  large  amount  of  his 
stock  placed  by  his  nephew  on  the  market  in 
New  York  City,  and  took  charge  of  the  busi- 
ness when  he  located  in  that  city, — continuing 
thus  for  four  years.  He  then  purchased  a  farm 
of  260  acres,  two  miles  up  the  Hudson  River, 
from  New  York  City,  and  there  was  engaged  in 
farming  for  seven  years.  At  the  expiration  of 
that  time,  he  went  to  Breckinridge  county, 
Kentucky,  where  he  and  Albert  bought  1,000 
acres  of  land.  The  father  resided  in  that  state 
many  years,  during  whicli  time  he  conducted  a 
country  store  in  connection  with  cultivating  his 
farm.  In  1872.  he  settled  in  Afton  township, 
Sedgwick  county.  He  spent  his  last  days  in 
Wichita,  where  he  died,  in  1873.  His  wife  was 
born  in  Hamburg,  Germany,  and  died  in  Ken- 
tucky, in  1892.  They  were  the  parents  of 
eleven  children,  of  whom  the  following  are 
now  living :  Franciska,  who  lives  in  Germany ; 
Albert ;  Gustav,  a  tobacco  merchant  and  buyer, 
in  Hardin  county,  Kentucky;  Mary;  and 
Clara. 

Albert  Leichhardt  obtained  a  good  schooling 
in  English  and  German,  and  lived  at  home  un- 


380 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


til  his  inarriag-c,  in  1864.  In  tlie  summer  of 
1872,  he  located  in  the  place  where  he  now 
lives,  and  at  the  same  time  his  mother  took  up 
the  southeast  quarter  of  section  27.  He  erected 
a  small  frame  house,  16  feet  square,  and  in  that 
year  hroke  30  acres,  which  he  put  into  corn. 
The  followins;  year,  he  succeeded  in  getting  the 
greater  jiart  nf  iiis  farm  uiuler  cultivation. 
Meeting  with  good  success,  he  was  soon  able 
to  increase  his  landed  possessions,  and  bought 
the  north  half  of  section  26,  in  Afton  township, 
20  acres  of  which  had  already  been  broken. 
This  purchase  was  made  in  1881 ;  in  1887  he 
bought  40  acres  in  section  26,  known  as  the 
Withrow  farm.  Still  later,  he  purchased  80 
acres  in  section  34,  and  80  acres  in  section  35, 
subsequently  selling  the  last  named  tract  to  his 
son.  Mr.  Leichhardt  has  devoted  much  of  his 
time  to  raising  live  stock,  although  each  year 
he  raises  a  large  anumnt  of  grain.  He  is  un- 
doubtedly one  of  the  most  enterprising  and  suc- 
cessful farmers  in  Sedgwick  county,  and  is  well 
worthy  of  the  esteem  in  which  he  is  held  by  his 
many  friends,  who  recognize  in  him  a  good 
neighbor  and  an  hnnnr.-ihle  citizen. 

Mr.  Leichhardt  was  joiuetl  in  marriage,  in 
1864,  to  Julia  Reynolds,  of  Breckinridge 
county,  Kentucky,  a  daughter  of  Reuben  and 
Anna  (.\danis)  Reynolds,  her  jiarents  being 
engaged  in  farming  there.  They  have  the  fol- 
lowing children:  .\nna;  Bertha;  Preston; 
Olive;  Lillian;  .Albert;  Gustav ;  Cora;  and 
Nellie.  Anna  is  a  graduate  from  the  schools 
of  Oswego,  New  York,  and  for  many  years 
taught  school,  but  is  now  the  wife  of  Lionel 
Trotter.      Bertha  graduated    from    the    Fort 


Scott,  Kansas,  schools,  after  which  she  taught 
four  years,  but  she  is  now  the  wife  of  Thomas 
F.  Fisk,  an  attorney  at  Seattle,  Washington. 
I'reston  married  Annie  Parsons,  and  is  farming 
in  Sedg'wick  county.  Olive  and  Lillian  li\e  at 
Imnie  and  the  latter  is  a  dressmaker  by  trade. 
.■\ll)crt,  who  ojierates  a  sawmill,  married  llat- 
tie  Marsh,  (iustav  married  Susie  i  larvel.  Cora 
teaches  school.  In  politics,  Mr.  Leichhardt  is  a 
strong  Republican,  has  served  six  years  as  a 
townshij)  trustee,  and  has  been  on  the  school 
board.    He  is  a  Methodist  in  religious  views. 


M 


R.    P.    NEUMANN    is    one   of    the 


'^r~i  leading  jjhysicians  of  Wichita, 
Kansas,  and,  although  he  has  been 
located  in  that  city  but  a  few  years,  commands 
a  large  and  lucrative  practice. 

Dr.  Neumann  was  born  in  Silesia,  Germany, 
March  9,  1844,  and  received  his  primary  edu- 
cation in  the  common  and  high  schools  of  his 
native  town.  He  studied  medicine  at  Breslau 
and  in  (jreifswald  L'niversity.  graduating 
with  the  class  of  1866.  In  1862,  he  enlisted  in 
the  regidar  army  and  served  as  a  pri\ate  fnr 
one  year.  In  1864,  he  again  served,  in  the 
war  against  Denmark,  holding  the  rank  of  a 
sergeant.  He  was  in  the  reserve  cor])s  dming 
the  war  with  France,  in  1870-1871,  as  a  sur- 
geon, and  ciinlinucd  as  surgeon  in  the  regular 
army  until  i87r),  when  he  resigned  and  liecame 
coroner.  In  1888,  he  made  a  trip  to  Manitoba, 
Canada,  on  a  hunting  expedition,  and  while 
in  that  province  met  Emma  LTnverricht,  whom 
he  afterward  married.     Influenced  somewhat 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


381 


Iw  tlie  young  lady,  and  being  well  pleased  witli 
the  Cduntry,  Dr.  Neumann  returned  to  Mani- 
toba, and  in  1890  engaged  in  the  jiraetice  of 
bis  profession.  He  remained  tbere  one  year 
and  tben  moved  to  Wicbita,  wbere  be  bas  since 
residecL  He  bas  a  large  and  lucrative  practice, 
and  is  a  member  of  tbe  Soutli  Kansas  Medical 
Society,  and  tbe  Wicbita  Medical  Society.  He 
is  on  tbe  medical  stafT  of  tbe  St.  Francis  Hos- 
pital and  also  tbe  Wicbita  Hospital.  Fra- 
ternally, be  is  a  Mason,  and  a  member  of  tbe 
Knigbts  of  Pytbias,  Improved  Order  of  Red 
Men,  and  Sons  of  Herman.  Since  1897,  be 
bas  served  im  tbe  board  of  bealtb. 


-AIRMOUNT  COLLEGE  is  situated 
in  "Fairmount  Addition"  to  tbe  city  of 
Wicbita,  tbree  and  a  balf  miles  nortb- 
east  from  tbe  business  center.  Tbe  main  col- 
lege buikling  stands  in  tbe  midst  of  a  campus 
of  20  acres,  on  tbe  summit  of  a  ridge  of  land 
1 50  feet  above  tbe  city,  witb  an  outlook  over  tbe 
city  and  tbe  Arkansas  Valley  of  almost  unri- 
valed beauty.  'Idiis  ele\'ation  of  tbe  site  of  tbe 
college  insures  excellent  sanitary  conditions, 
a  prime  consideration  in  tbe  location  of  a  great 
scbool. 

Tbe  plan  for  a  cullege  on  Fairmount  origi- 
nated during  tbe  "Wicbita  boom,"  1886-1888. 
wben  tbe  main  edifice  was  erected.  Tbe  insti- 
tution was  originally  intended  to  be  a  first  class 
college  for  women,  "tbe  Vassar  of  tbe  Plains." 
In  1892  tbe  Congregational  Education  So- 
ciety of  Boston  organized  m  tbe  main  college 
building  a  school  for  botb  men  and  women, 
called  "Fairmount  Institute."     In  1895,  under 


tlie  direction  of  tbe  .same  education  society  tbe 
scbool  took  tbe  form  of  a  true  college,  admit- 
ting in  September  of  tbat  year  its  first  fresh- 
man class,  consisting  of  12  members.  The 
"Institute"  or  "Academy"  is  still  continued  as 
a  department  of  tbe  college,  for  tbe  preparation 
of  students  for  the  college  proper.  At  tbe  be- 
ginning of  each  college  year  since  1895,  a  fresh- 
man class  bas  been  received,  witb  gradually  in- 
creasing numbers,  until  in  1899,  the  entering 
freshman  class  numbered  32  members.  The 
college  bas  graduated  two  classes,  that  of  1899 
containing  eight  members,  and  tbat  of  1900, 
ten  members. 

From  tbe  first,  Fairmount  College  has  aimed 
to  maintain  a  high  standard  of  acquirements 
and  scholarship,  by  employing  a  relatively  large 
number  of  highly  trained  instructors.  These 
have  generally  been  graduates  of  the  most  fa- 
mous Eastern  colleges,  who  have  bad  tbe  fur- 
ther adxantages  of  post-graduate  study  and 
training  in  their  respective  special  departments, 
in  tbe  best  American  and  European  universi- 
ties. How  far  this  elevated  aim  of  the  college 
builders  has  been  realized  is  attested  by  a  stead- 
ily growing  constituency  of  most  loyal  stu- 
dents, by  tbe  institution's  en\-iable  reputation 
for  good,  thorough  work,  and  by  tbe  unsought 
commendation  of  distinguished  visitors  from 
a  distance.  Says  Secretary  Day  (a  Yale  grad- 
uate), of  tbe  Boston  Education  Society,  after 
an  ofhcial  visit :  "Tbe  whole  institution  was 
astir  witb  life,  tbe  pupils  bright  and  enthusi- 
astic and  full  of  promise;  tbe  instruction  fav- 
orably comparable  to  tbat  of  Eastern  colleges 
of  best  standing;  the  general  tone  elevated  and 


3S2 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


Christian;  the  ideals  of  education,  as  voiced 
in  one  w  ay  ami  another,  of  high  order.  I  was 
especially  gratified  willi  the  ability  and  devo- 
tion of  the  faculty.  1  could  not  but  feel  that 
the  institution  is  bound  to  be  a  factor  of  the 
most  signal  importance  in  developing  the  pow- 
ers and  characters  of  the  young  people  of 
Southern  Kansas,  and  is  therefore  worthy  of 
the  sympathy  and  aid  of  friends  of  higher  edu- 
cation in  the  West.  Educated  product  is  being 
turned  out  from  Fairmount  which  is  beginning 
to  do  honor  to  that  college,  the  city  and  the 
state." 

Fairmount  Institute,  in  1895,  had  a  library  of 
about  200  volumes.  This  handful  of  books,  by 
the  combined  zeal  and  energy  of  the  librarians, 
the  Fairmount  Ladies'  Library  Club  and  the 
president  of  the  college,  has  developed  into  a 
well  equipped,  well  catalogued,  efficient  library 
of  20,000  books  and  30.000  magazines  and  mis- 
cellaneous pamphlets,  the  largest  and  most  val- 
uable college  library  in  Kansas  after  that  of 
the  state  university.  The  yearly  accessions 
since  1895  have  averaged  nearly  4,000  volumes, 
besides  pamphlets. 

The  college  administration  has  been  greatly 
aided  in  this  important  work  of  building  up  the 
lil)rarv  bv  the  counsel  and  generous  coopera- 
tion of  a  large  number  of  America's  foremost 
scholars,  such  as  George  P.  Fisher,  LL.  D.,  and 
Dr.  George  B.  Adams,  lx)th  of  Yale  University ; 
Rev.  Edward  Everett  Hale ;  Hon.  S.  A.  Green, 
LL.  D.,  secretary  and  librarian  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts Historical  Society ;  Senator  George  F. 
Hoar;  Dr.  W.  T.  Harris,  United  States  Com- 
missioner of  Education ;     Rev.  R.  S.  Storrs, 


LL.  D.,  Brooklyn,  New  York;  Dr.  Nicholas 
Murray  Butler,  of  Columbia  University,  New 
York;  Dr.  W.  II.  Ward,  editor  of  The  Inde- 
pendent; and  Mr.  Richard  W.  Gilder,  editor  of 
The  Century  magazine.  A  host  of  publishers, 
booksellers,  ministers,  authors  and  private  citi- 
zens, in  Wichita  and  throughout  the  East,  have 
aided  in  this  good  work.  Some  of  the  stimu- 
lating messages  from  the  eminent  men  already 
mentioned  are  worth  putting  on  permanent 
record.  Dr.  Hale  wrote :  "I  am  much  inter- 
ested in  your  plan,  which  seems  to  me  very 
wise.  You  may  make  use  of  us,  and  write  to 
us  when  you  have  occasion."  Said  Dr.  R.  S. 
Storrs  :  "Colleges  are  very  good,  but  a  college 
without  a  library  is  like  a  man  witii  strong 
muscles,  but  without  eyes,  ears,  fingers  or  feet." 
Says  Professor  Fisher :  "Too  many  of  our 
American  colleges,  with  their  commodious 
buildings  and  meager  collection  of  books,  re- 
mind me  of  a  modern  barn,  well  ventilated,  and 
with  beautiful  stalls,  but  where  there  is  no  pro- 
vision for  hay  or  oats  for  the  hungry  tenants. 
If  a  college,  however  young,  and  with  however 
small  an  attendance  of  students,  has  well  stored 
libraries,  I  should  make  such  a  bow  on  ap- 
proaching it  as  Boswell  says  Johnson  made 
when  he  met  an  archbishop."  Professor  Butler 
wrote :  "The  library  is  at  once  the  laboratory 
and  reservoir  for  the  student  of  letters,  history, 
jihilosophy  and  politics.  A  good  college  lilirary 
is  the  foundation  of  a  good  college."  Donations 
of  books  have  been  numerous  and  valuable.  But 
purchases  of  new  books,  adapted  to  the  scien- 
tific needs  of  instructors  and   students,  have 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


383 


kept  pace  with  this  ingatliering  of  books  from 
generous  friends.  The  hijrary  is  free  to  the 
public  as  well  as  to  the  students. 

Tlie  college  is  fairly  well  equipped  with  ap- 
paratus for  laboratory  work  in  chemistry,  bi- 
ology, physiology  and  domestic  science,  and 
with  instruments  for  practical  field  work  in  sur- 
veying and  civil  engineering,  these  essentials 
of  good  scientific  teaching  having  been  pro- 
vided as  rapidly  as  limited  resources  would  per- 
mit, and  those  of  the  latest  and  most  approved 
type  ha\'ing  invariably  been  selected.  The 
ruethods  of  instruction  are  all  modern,  and  the 
"new  education"  is  hearitly  believed  in.  The 
laboratory  system  is  applied  wherever  practi- 
cable. The  student  is  trained  to  methods  of 
original  research  in  historical  subjects ;  mere 
textbook  teaching  is  not  in  vogue.  The  in- 
struction is  made  indixidual  and  personal,  the 
proper  development  of  each  indi\idual  student 
being  sought.  Fairmount  College  includes 
both  a  classical  and  English  academy,  and  a 
true  college,  the  course  of  study  and  require- 
ments of  the  latter  lieing  fashioned  after  the 
model  of  the  New  England  college.  The  sci- 
entific and  modern  languages  side  of  the  col- 
lege receives  special  attention,  and  will  be  de- 
veloped from  year  to  year  as  rapidly  as  the 
resources  will  permit.  A  good  beginning  has 
been  made  in  industrial  education  by  the  recent 
establishment  of  the  department  of  domes- 
tic science.  Manual  training  and  instruction  in 
science  as  applied  to  agriculture,  horticulture, 
etc.,  will  follow  at  the  earliest  practical  day. 
Fairmount  College  is  intended  to  be  a  school 
for  the  people  of  Kansas  without  respect  to 


sect,  party  or  race.     Both  sexes  have  ecjual  ad- 
vantages. 

Fairmount  College  owes  its  origin  and  its 
chief  financial  support  to  the  Congregational 
churches,  but  in  its  spirit  it  is  not  sectarian  or 
denominational.  Its  teachers  have  been  repre- 
sentatives of  various  religious  communions, 
while  its  present  board  of  trustees  includes  in 
its  highly  influential  membership,  among  other 
denominational  representatives,  a  Hebrew  and 
a  Roman  Catholic.  But  in  its  purpose  and  spirit, 
the  college  is  eminently  christian,  seeking  ear- 
nestly to  disciple  its  young  wards  to  the  life 
and  the  faith  of  the  "Man  of  Nazareth." 

Its  financial  resources  thus  far  have  depended 
chiefly  on  Wichita  and  benevolent  friends  in  the 
East.  Public  spirited  citizens  of  Wichita  have 
contributed  so  generously  and  so  freely  to  the 
founding  of  the  college  as  to  make  it  in  an  im- 
portant sense  a  ' '  Wichita  Institution. "  As  yet 
it  has  little  endowment.  Dr.  D.  K.  Pearsons, 
of  Chicago,  the  munificent  patron  of  a  score  of 
American  colleges  and  schools,  ofifers  a  fund 
of  $50,000  whenever  the  other  friends  of  the 
college  shall  have  provided  $150,000  for  the 
same  purpose.  The  people  of  Wichita  and 
eastern  friends  are  now  vigorously  at  work  to 
make  up  this  large  sum  and  thus  place  the  in- 
stitution on  a  basis  of  substantial  and  perma- 
nent prosperity.  Other  large  prospective  gifts 
to  the  college  are  only  waiting  the  fulfilment 
of  the  "Pearson's  endowment." 

The  growth  of  the  college  has  been  gradual, 
year  by  year,  in  patronage  and  resources.  Be- 
sides the  difliculties  which  commonly  beset  the 
young  college  of  the  new  West,  "Fairmount's" 


384 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


advance  lias  encountered     peculiar    obstacles, 
such  as  the  extreme  financial  depression  which 
in  1S95  afflicted  Wichita  and  Southern  Kansas, 
continuing  down  to   1899;  the  disfavor  with 
wiiich  everything  pertaining  to  the  Sunflower 
State  has  been  regarded  in  the  East,  now  hap- 
pily passing  away ;  the  execrable  means  of  pub- 
lic conveyance  from  the  college  to  the  center  of 
tlie  city,  and  other  impediments  which  need  not 
be  named.     Endless  industry,     pluck,  persis- 
tency and  hope  on  the  part  of  the  local  friends 
of  the  college  and  its  devoted  faculty  and  ad- 
ministrative management,  have  steadily  pushed 
the  work  forward,  with  no  backward  step  on  ac- 
count of  occasional  defeat,  until  the  perma- 
nence of  the  institution  is  assured.     The  re- 
cent completion  of  the  electric  railway  to  the 
college  renders  access  easy  at  all  hours  of  the 
day.     The  fine,  sightly  and  healthful  location 
of  the  college,  and  the  many  excellent  advan- 
tages for  study  afforded  by  reason  of  its  re- 
moteness from  the  distractions  and  temptations 
of  the  business  center  of  the  city,  must  here- 
after attract  many  permanent  residents  to  Fair- 
mount,  until  by  and  by  will  be  developed  on 
this  commanding  height  a  large  and  splendid 
suburb,  like  the  fine  village  community  which 
has  grown  up  around  the  Illinois  State  Normal 
School,  at  Bloomington.    A  great  and  notable 
future  is  surely  in  store  for  Fairmount  Col- 
lege. 

The  officers  of  administration  and  instruc- 
tion of  the  college  are  now  (January  i,  1901), 
as  follows : 

BOARD   OF   TRUSTEES. 

Xathan  J.  Morrison President 


Joseph   M.   Knapp   (Mass.   Life  Ins.   Co) Wichita 

Walter  H.   Graves,   M.   D Wichita 

Robert    L.    Holmes    (Lawyer) Wichita 

Hon.    A.    L.    Redden    (Lawyer) Topeka 

Edward  D.  Kenna  (V-Prest.  A.  T.  &  S.  R  Ry.) 

Chicago 

Edwin    Tucker    (Banker)     Eureka 

Charles  E.   Potts   (Wholesale  Drugs)    Wichita 

E.  Higginson  (Lehmann-Higginson  Gro.  Co.)  ..Wichita 
Byron  F.  Hobart  (Kansas  &  Te.xas  Coal  Co.). St.  Louis 
Newell  C.  Knight  (Knight,  Donnelly  &  Co., 

Bankers)    Chicago 

Hugh    S.    Hall    (Farmer) Sedg^vick 

George    F.    Lewis,    M.    D Wichita 

William  H.  Wilcox,  D.  D..  LL.  D Boston 

Howard  W.  Darling  (Louisiana  Lumber  Co.). Wichita 

Rev.   Henry  E.   Thayer Wichita 

Andrew  C.  Jobes   (Pres.  Bank  Commerce) ...  .Wichita 

Benjamin    Garland    (Stockman)    Wichita 

Charles  G.  Cohn  (Prest.  Board  of  Trade) ...  .Wichita 
George   H.    Hunter    (Hunter    Milling   Co.) ...  .Wichita 

F.^CULTY. 

N.\TH.\N  J.   Morrison,   D.   D.,   LL.   D.,    (Dartmouth), 

President.     Ethics.   Christian   Apologetics. 
Flora  C.   Clough,  B.  A.    (Olivet),  Dean  of  Woman's 

Department.     English   Literature. 
William    H.    Iselv,    B.    A.    (Harvard).      History   and 

Political   Science. 
Paul  Rol-let,  M.  .'\.   (Dartmouth).     French  Language 

and  Literature. 
Benjamin  F.  Buck.  M.  A.  (Carleton  and  University  of 

Minnesota).     Pedagogy  and  English  Language. 
Clifford  P.  Clark,  B.  A.  We?leyan  and  Heidelberg). 

Latin  Language  and  Literature. 
John  Barlow,  M.  A.   (Middlebury  and  Brown),  Biol- 
ogy and  Natural  Science. 
George  I.  Gavett,  M.  S.,  C.  E.  (Michigan  University). 

Mathematics  and  Civil   Engineering. 
Samuel  S.   Kingsbury,  M.  A.,  Ph.  D.   (Marietta  and 

Johns    Hopkins).     Greek    and    German    Languages 

and  Literatures. 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


385 


William  B.  Savery,  M.  A.,  Ph.  D.   (Brown  and  Har- 
vard).    Logic,    Psychology,    Philosophy. 

E.  C.  Marshall,  M.  G.   (Kansas  University).    Musical 
Director,   Voice,   Choral    Singing. 

Miss  Julia  H.   Bunnell,    (Paris  and  New  York   Art 
League).     Professor  of  Drawing  and  Painting. 

Mabel  C.   Millison,B.L.  (Fairniount).     Elocution  and 
Physical  Training. 

I\L\J0R  J.   B.   Mervvin   (St.   Louis).     Lecturer  on   Eng- 
lish  Literature. 

Harriet    A.     Vandivert,     (Kansas    Agricultural     Col- 
lege).    Domestic  Science. 

Lalage   Hall     (Music   College   of   Northwestern   Uni- 
versity).    Piano  and  Organ. 

Charles  Fifer,  Business  Branches,  Academy. 

Julius  Blasius,  Teacher  of  the  Violin. 

Helen    B.    Reilley,    Instructor    in    English    Branches, 
Academy. 

Paul  Roulet,  M.  A.,  Librarian. 

Theodore  H.  Morrison,  B.  Ph.,  LL.  B.   (Marietta  and 

Northwestern  University).    Assistant  Librarian. 

general  officers. 

N.  J.   Morrison,   President. 

W.  H.  Isely,  Dean. 

Flora  C.  Clough,  Dean  of  Woman's  Department. 

E.  C.  Marshall,  Musical  Director. 

Mabel  C.  Millison,  Director  of  Physical  Culture. 

Harriett  A.  Vandivert,  Director  of  Domestic  Science. 

J.  M.  Knapp,    Chairman    of    Executive    Committee. 

R.  L,  Holmes,  Secretary  and  Treasurer. 

C.   P.  Clark,  Assistant  Treasurer. 

Paul  Roulet,  Librarian. 

T.  H.  Morrison,  Assistant  Librarian. 


RANK  S.  BOONE,  wlio  is  a  worthy 
representative    of    one    of    the    pioneer 
famihes  of  Sedgwick  county,  Kansas,  is  a 
prosperous,  energetic  young  farmer  of  Union 


township,  and  is  highly  esteemed  throughout 
the  community.  He  lias  been  a  typical  repre- 
sentative of  the  United  States  soldier,  and  dur- 
ing his  service  in  the  Spanish-American  War 
displayed  such  conspicuous  bravery  while  under 
fire,  and  in  battle,  that  he  received  the  highest 
praise  from  his  superior  officers.  He  was  born 
October  29,  1876,  and  is  a  son  of  Daniel  E. 
Boone. 

Elroy  Boone,  grandfather  of  Frank  S.,  w'as 
a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  a  direct  descendant 
of  the  same  family  of  which  Daniel  Boone,  the 
famous  frontiersman  and  hunter,  was  a  mem- 
ber. When  a  young  man,  Elroy  went  to  New 
York  State,  and  while  in  Oneida  county  mar- 
ried Catherine  De  Long.  In  1858,  they  moved 
to  Knox  county,  Illinois,  where  he  spent  many 
years  carrying  on  farming  operations.  He  sold 
out  in  1872,  and  moved  to  Union  township, 
Sedgwick  county,  Kansas,  where  he  was  one 
of  the  early  settlers.  He  purchased  a  half  sec- 
tion of  land,  upon  which  he  made  extensive  im- 
provements, and  his  fellow  citizens  recognized 
in  him  one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  Sedg^vick 
county.  His  latter  years  were  spent  in  quiet 
retirement,  and  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
1899,  was  deeply  deplored  by  his  many  friends, 
who  knew  him  as  an  honest  and  upright  man, 
and  a  good  neighbor.  His  wife  passed  from 
this  life  in  1879.  Mr.  Boone  had  been  twice 
married  and  by  his  former  wife  had  two  chil- 
ilren,  while  the  following  were  the  issue  of  his 
last  marriage :  Marietta ;  Daniel  E. ;  Emery  G. ; 
James  H. ;  Maggie,  and  Alice. 

Daniel  E.  Boone  was  born  in  Cortland  coun- 
ty. New  York,  November  12,  1852,  but  when 


38G 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


he  was  a  lad  of  six  years,  liis  parents  moved  to 
Knox  county,  Illinois,  where  he  received  his 
early  schooling.  He  also  took  a  course  in  tiie 
business  college  at  Galesburg.  and  during  his 
vacations  assisted  his  father  in  operating  the 
farm.  He  accompanied  his  parents  to  Kansas, 
in  1S7J,  and  has  continued  to  reside  in  Sedg- 
wick County  ever  since.  He  preempted  tiie 
northwest  quarter  of  section  25,  u[)on  wliich 
he  lives  at  present,  and  as  a  result  nf  many  pros- 
perous years  of  toil,  he  is  now  the  owner  of 
640  acres  of  fine  farming  land.  He  raises  con- 
siderable grain  and  live  stock,  and  is  one  of  the 
most  progressive  farmers  of  Sedgwick  county. 
Mr.  Boone  was  joined  in  wedlock,  December 
25,  1873,  to  Katie  Carpenter,  a  native  of  Cal- 
ifornia, who  is  a  daughter  of  Horace  and  Mary 
(Emery)  Carpenter — the  former,  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  the  latter,  of  Vermont.  Mrs. 
Boone  was  born  September  i,  1853,  and  of  her 
children,  Frank  S.  is  the  oldest.  The  others 
were  Mal>el  and  Daniel,  and  two  wlio  died  in 
infancy.  Mr.  Boone  is  an  intluential  citizen  of 
the  community,  and  in  political  affairs  is  one 
of  its  leading  Republicans.  His  fellow  citizens 
have  honored  him  by  electi(jn  to  many  minor 
offices,  and  at  j^resent  he  is  serving  as  county 
treasurer.  In  religious  matters,  he  is  lilieral 
in  his  views. 

Frank  S.  Boone  has  spent  the  greater  part  of 
his  years  working  on  his  father's  farm,  and 
during  his  early  youth  entered  Maize  Acad- 
emy, from  which  he  was  graduated  two  years 
later.  He  then  took  a  business  course  at  Wich- 
ita University,  and  later  spent  a  year  at  Garfield 
University.    He  enlisted  March  21,  1896,  as  a 


private  in  Company  E.,  i6th  Reg.  U.  S.  A., 
After  two  years  in  the  service  he  was  promoted 
to  be  a  corijond.  .May  25,  1898,  at  Tampa, 
I'lnrida  :  while  at  1  luntsxille,  .Mabama,  he  was 
advanced  to  a  sergeancy — the  latter  promotion 
taking  place  October  11,  1898.  He  was  in  ac- 
tion in  the  assault  on  San  Juan  Fiill,  on  JiUy 
I,  and  on  July  2.  3.  10  and  11,  be  was  in  the 
front  at  Santiago.  In  these  two  engagements, 
he  distinguished  himself  as  a  gallant  non-com- 
missioned officer.  His  valor  won  much  praise 
both  from  his  comrades  and  his  superior  offi- 
cers, and  his  daring  deeds  are  still  fresh  in  the 
minds  of  many  wIk;  were  there  engaged.  Up- 
on his  discharge  from  service,  he  was  pre- 
sented with  several  testimonials  (with  recom- 
mendations) as  to  his  gallant  conduct  while  in 
battle.  From  two  of  his  superior  officers  he  re- 
ceived the  following: 

"Camp  Shipp,  Anniston,  Alab.\m.\, 
"December  29,   1898. 
"To  ll'ho)n  It  May  Concern: 

"I  take  great  pleasure  in  testifying  to  the 
gallant  conduct  of  Sergeant  Frank  S.  Boone, 
Company  E,  i6th  Reg.  Infantry,  while  acting 
Corporal  of  that  company,  in  the  attacks  on  the 
San  Juan  Fortifications  on  July  i,  1898.  He. 
with  one  other  soldier,  was  at  the  heatl  of  the 
charge  which  resulted  in  the  capture  of  the 
San  Juan  Block  House  and  too  much  credit 
cannot  be  given  him  for  his  bravery  on  that 
day  and  throughout  the  entire  operations  be- 
fore Santiago.  I  have  been  in  constant  obser- 
vation of  Sergeant  Boone  for  over  two  years 
and  believe  him  eminently  fitted  for  the  posi- 
tion   of    Secoiid    Lieutenant    of    the    Regular 


NEW  YORK 
f  PUBLIC  LIBRARY  ' 


^  Astor,  Lenox  and  TiJden  I 
Foundations. 


WILLIAM   ^L  BURNS. 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


389 


Army,  which  liis  gallant  conduct  certainly 
merits  during  the  operations  before  Santiago. 
I  served  as  Lieutenant  in  Co.  E,  i6th  Inf. 

"(Signed)  E.  C.  Carey, 

"Captain  and  Assistant  Adjutant  General, 

"United  States  Volunteers" 


'Huntsville,  Ala.,  Octolier 


1898. 


"Sergeant  Boone  has  been  a  member  of  my 
company  for  the  past  three  years.  I  know 
him  to  be  a  young  man  of  good  moral  char- 
acter and  intelligent  and  tlioroughly  reliable. 
After  the  battle  of  Santiago,  I  recommended 
him  for  conspicuous  and  gallant  conduct  in 
the  assault  upon  San  Juan  Fort  July  i,  1898. 
Upon  this  occasion  he  was  one  of  the  first  men 
to  ascend  the  hills  and  was  far  ahead  of  the 
main  line.  I  saw  him  on  the  crest  of  the  hill, 
coolly  firing  with  effect  upon  the  Spanish  sol- 
diers in  their  trenches  not  thirty  yards  away. 
In  whatever  capacity  the  Government  may 
employ  him,  I  am  satisfied  that  he  will  per- 
form his  duty  conscientiously  with  courage 
and  intelligence. 

"(Signed)  W.  C.  AIcFarland, 

"Captain  i6th  Inf.,  commanding  Co.  E." 

The  following  article  in  the  Wichita  papers 
was  copied  from  the  Lexington  (Ky)  Herald 
and  was  told  by  a  Kentucky  officer : 

"Sergeant  Boone  of  Wichita,  Kan.,  seemed 
to  bear  a  charmed  life.  He  was  in  the  thickest 
of  the  fight  and  one  of  the  first  to  reach  the 
trenches.  He  helped  dress  his  Captain's 
wounds  and  carried  his  comrade  Fleming  to 
the  rear.  After  the  death  of  Lieutenant  Ord, 
Sergeant  Boone  showed  great  bravery." 

These  articles  are  only  a  small  part  of  the 


many  kind  expressions  made  concerning  Mr. 
Boone,  as  he  is  in  possession  of  many  other 
writings  which  relate  his  daring  deeds  on  the 
battlefield,  and  commend  him  for  his  intrepid 
action  as  a  soldier. 

October  3,  1900,  Mr.  Boone  was  joined  in 
marriage  with  Mollie  Lawson,  a  daughter  of 
Peter  and  Mollie  (Christopher)  Lawson. 
Mrs.  Boone  is  a  nati\-e  of  Sedgwick  county, 
Kansas.  Socially,  Mr.  Boone  is  a  member  of 
the  Knights  of  Pythias,  Maize  Lodge,  No.  217, 
of  Maize,  Kansas. 


W-ILLIA, 
leadmg  r( 
r>i  1 1  f  iit-n  1      1 1 


ILLIAM  M.  BURNS,  one  of  the 
representatives  of  the  agri- 
cultural interests  of  Kansas,  a  por- 
trait of  whom  accompanies  this  sketch,  owns  a 
finely  culti\'ated  farm  in  the  northeast  quarter 
of  section  16,  Park  township,  Sedgwick 
county.  He  was  born  in  Venango  county,  near 
Oil  City,  Pennsylvania,  in  May,  1833,  and  is  a 
son  of  James  Burns,  who  went  to  Pennsyl- 
vania, from  Virginia,  and  married  Mary 
McCuin,  a  native  of  Scotland.  The  paternal 
grandfather  was  Hector  Burns,  of  Scotland. 

The  father  of  William  M.  Burns  was  one  of 
12  children,  seven  boys  and  five  girls,  all  of 
whom  grew  to  be  large  men  and  women.  He 
became  a  blacksmith.  In  the  spring  of  1837, 
he  went  to  Farmington,  Iowa,  and  conducted 
a  hotel  and  blacksmith  shop,  the  first  in  that 
section  of  the  country.  After  a  few  years,  he 
located  on  a  farm  six  miles  out  of  town,  where 
he  died  in  the  spring  of  1874,  aged  seventy- 


890 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


four  years.  Ills  widow  survived  him  until 
i8g6,  wlien  she  too  passed  away,  aged  eighty- 
eight  years.  To  them  were  born  the  following 
children  :  William  M. ;  Mary,  who  married 
Owen  Tuttle,  of  Monterey,  California;  M.  J. 
who  is  in  the  insurance  business  at  Denver, 
Colorado;  John  W.,  county  treasurer  of  Van 
Buren  county,  Iowa ;  and  Alexander,  Nancy, 
Margaret.  Thomas,  James,  and  Morris — all 
deceased — the  last  named  having  been  a  victim 
of  smallpox,  when  fighting  for  the  Union  dur- 
ing the  Civil  War. 

William  M.  Burns  underwent  a  common 
school  training,  and,  in  1852,  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enteen years,  left  home  with  a  party  of  17  men 
from  \'an  Buren  and  Davis  counties,  Iowa. 
The  only  members  of  that  party  now  living  are 
Hon.  Marion  Drake,  ex-Governor  of  Iowa,  and 
William  M.  Burns.  They  commenced  their 
long  journey  toward  California  on  April  19, 
1852,  and  consumed  96  days  in  crossing  the 
plains.  They  had  ox  teams,  and  consequently 
progress  was  slow.  The  first  stop  was  made  at 
Old  Hangtown,  California.  Mr.  Burns  went  to 
Weaver  Creek,  mined  about  18  months,  and 
then  located  at  Smith's  Flat,  where  he  stayed 
six  months.  His  next  location  was  at  Campo 
Seco,  California,  where  he  mined  for  fouir 
years.  About  this  time  he  went  to  the  Frazier 
River,  in  British  Columbia,  where  he  mined, 
prospected  and  labored  in  a  sawmill,  working 
up  to  Puget  Sound.  During  this  later  period, 
Mr.  Burns'  brothers,  Thomas  and  Alexander, 
were  with  him  for  two  and  a  half  years,  and 
the  latter  brother  met  with  an  accident  which 
resulted  in  the  loss  of  one  of  his  legs.    He  was 


tenderly  cared  for  and  sent  home  by  his  good 
brothers.  In  1857,  William  M.  Burns  went  to 
Oregon  City  and  Portland,  Oregon,  remained 
about  two  months,  and  then  returned  to  his 
first  claim  at  Weaver  Creek,  and  mined  the 
greater  part  of  the  winter.  In  the  spring  of 
1858,  he  went  to  Solano  county,  California, 
(in  the  valleys),  and  remained  two  years;  in 
the  month  of  April,  1861,  he  was  one  of  the 
organizers  of  a  party  for  Snake  River,  Idaho. 
The  party  consisted  originally  of  30,  but  Mr. 
Burns  and  two  others  were  the  only  ones  to 
complete  the  journey.  There  he  remained, 
with  occasional  trips  into  British  Columbia, 
until  September,  1864,  when  he  left  Idaho  City 
for  home.  This  was  caused  by  news  that  he 
had  received  from  a  stranger  who  came  into 
camp,  claiming  that  he  had  come  from  Mr. 
Burns'  old  county.  Upon  being  asked  if  he 
knew  Mr.  Burns'  brothers,  he  replied  that  he 
did,  and  that  they  were  all  dead,  having  been 
killed  while  in  the  South,  and  that  many  others 
were  being  brought  home  dead.  Mr.  Burns  re- 
marked that  if  that  was  the  case,  they  would 
have  a  chance  of  killing  him  in  the  same  cause, 
and  therefore  left  for  Iowa,  as  above  stated. 
After  several  stops,  he  reached  \^an  Buren 
county,  in  January,  1865,  and  remained  with 
his  parents,  taking  care  of  them  until  his  father 
sold  his  ])roperty  and  removed  to  Bentonsport, 
Iowa,  in  1867.  Mr.  Burns  owned  a  fine  farm  in 
Van  Buren  county,  which  he  operated  for  some 
time,  then  sold  it,  and  was  a  railroad  con- 
tractor at  Ottumwa,  Iowa,  for  two  years. 
After  this,  he  removed  to  Kansas  and  settled 
in  Butler  county,  where  he  took  up  a  half  sec- 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


391 


tion  of  lanil,  in  1870,  broke  80  acres  of  it,  mak- 
ing many  improvements,  and  there  resided 
nntil  he  sold  the  property  and  removed  to 
Sedgwick  county,  in  1876.  There  he  bought 
a  quarter  section  from  Frank  Doffenmyre,  on 
which  lie  settled  in  that  year.  There  being  no 
house,  he  built  a  comfortable  residence,  10  by 
14  feet,  in  size,  and  a  barn,  and  started  to  im- 
prove his  property.  During  that  year  he  broke 
40  acres,  and  since  that  time  has  placed  the 
entire  160  acres  under  cultivation.  All  of  the 
land  is  well  fenced  with  wire  and  hedge,  and 
his  orchard  of  10  acres  contains  all  kinds  of 
fruits,  while  he  has  two  and  a  half  acres  in 
blackberries  and  other  small  fruits.  In  addi- 
tion to  his  quarter  section  above  described,  Mr. 
Burns  bought,  in  1878,  40  acres  in  section  16, 
which  was  school  land.  The  following  year 
he  purchased  40  acres  more  of  school  land,  and 
then  sold  three  40-acre  tracts.  The  same  year, 
he  purchased  from  the  Atchison,  Topeka  & 
Santa  Fe  Railway  Company,  80  acres  of  the 
northwest  quarter  of  section  15,  which  he  still 
owns. 

In  1868,  Mr.  Burns  married  Ella  Woodruff, 
of  Bentonsport,  Iowa,  who  died  in  1869.  He 
married  again,  in  18S1,  in  Park  township, 
Sedgwick  county, — wedding  Isabella  Howard, 
of  Springfield,  Missouri;  one  child,  James  W., 
has  blessed  this  union. 

Although  not  an  office  seeker,  Mr.  Burns 
adheres  to  the  principles  o(  the  Populist  party, 
and  is  very  earnest  in  his  political  convictions. 
Ever  since  1865,  Mr.  Burns  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  having  joined  it  at 
Keosauqua,  Iowa.     Later,  he  was  transferred 


to  Augusta,  Kansas,  and  still  later  to  Lodge 
No.  99,  of  Wichita.  Mr.  Burns'  business  ex- 
perience has  made  him  a  great  traveler,  and 
he  has  seen  many  phases  of  life,  but  in  all  of  his 
work  he  has  been  successful.  He  can  look  back 
with  pleasure  on  the  well  directed  efYorts, 
which  have  brought  him  such  agreeable  results, 
placing  him  among  the  leading  farmers  of  Park 
township,  and  gaining  for  him  an  enviable 
standing  in  the  community. 


H.  FEAREY,  a  pioneer  settler  of 
^^  ,  Sedgwick  county,  Kansas,  residing  on 
the  southeast  quarter  of  section  18, 
Erie  township,  was  a  very  poor  man  when  he 
filed  a  claim  to  his  present  property,  but,  pos- 
sessing an  unlimited  amount  of  energy  and 
determination  set  about  inaking  improvements 
upon  his  farm.  His  efforts  being  successful, 
he  soon  laid  aside  money  with  which  to  buy 
more  land,  and  is  now  one  of  the  most  extensive 
land  owners  in  Erie  township.  He  is  a  typical 
self  made  man.  and  the  example  set  by  him  is 
worthy  of  imitation  by  the  young  men  of  the 
present  day.  Throughout  the  community  in 
which  he  has  been  a  resident  these  many  years, 
he  is  considered  an  upright  and  honorable  busi- 
ness man  and  farmer.  He  was  born  in  North- 
amptonshire, England,  in  1844,  and  is  a  son 
of  Enoch  Fearey. 

Enoch  Fearey  was  also  born  in  England, 
and  during  his  early  life  learned  the  trade  of  a 
stonemason  and  plasterer,  which  he  followed  in 
his  native  country,  until  1856.    In  that  year  he 


392 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


came  to  this  country  with  his  family  and  located 
in  Franklin  county,  Indiana,  w  here  ho  s])cnt  the 
remainder  of  Iiis  days.  lie  liad  a  family  of  six 
cliiklren,  all  of  whom  were  horn  in  England, 
and  were  named  as  follows:  John,  who  is  a 
stonemason,  residing  in  Indianapolis,  Indiana ; 
Thomas,  who  is  deceased ;  Charles,  who  is  also 
a  stonemason,  and  resides  in  Franklin  county, 
Indiana;  Reliecca,  who  is  now  Mrs.  Beesley, 
of  Blackford  county,  Indiana;  II.  H. ;  and  Fan- 
nie, who  is  now  Mrs.  Bellew,  living  in  Colo- 
rado. 

n.  H.  Fearey  ohtained  his  schooling  in  In- 
diana, and  most  of  his  early  youth  was  spent 
in  working  for  his  father,  although  he  never 
tried  to  learn  the  stonemason's  trade.  He 
worked  mainly  at  farming,  and  was  employed 
in  many  different  counties  of  that  state.  In 
1876,  with  his  family,  consisting  of  wife  and 
three  children,  he  left  Boone  county,  Indiana, 
en  route  for  the  state  of  Kansas,  and  came 
directly  to  Wichita.  He  took  up  the  southeast 
quarter  of  section  18,  town.ship  29,  range  4, 
west,  his  present  place,  and  was  ahout  the  first 
to  file  a  claim  to  any  land  in  Erie  township. 
That  part  of  the  county  was  settled  very  rap- 
idly, but  many  of  the  early  .settlers  have  since 
moved  away.  For  eight  years  Mr.  Fearev  and 
his  family  lived  in  a  shanty  14  by  16  feet,  in 
size,  but  as  his  family  increased,  and  as  times 
grew  better,  he  made  an  addition  to  it,  of  the 
same  size  as  the  original  house.  His  present 
house  was  completed  in  1897.  For  the  fir.st 
few  years,  he  got  along  with  a  regular  Kansas 
barn — one  made  of  straw — but  he  now  has  a 
large,  substantial  barn  constructed  of  lumber. 


Being  a  poor  man  when  he  first  settled  in  Sedg- 
wick county,  he  at  first  worked  out,  breaking 
land  for  other  parties,  in  order  to  make  a 
living  for  his  family  from  the  outset.  He  was 
obliged  to  do  this  for  five  or  six  years  only, 
as  by  working  at  odd  times  on  his  own  property 
he  soon  brought  his  land  into  a  productive 
condition,  and  all  his  time  was  soon  devoted 
to  its  cultivation.  With  good  crops  he  suc- 
ceeded in  accumulating  enough  money  to  buy 
the  northeast  quarter  of  section  18,  of  which 
he  gave  the  north  half  to  his  son,  Charles.  The 
purchase  was  made  in  1892,  and  the  considera- 
tion was  $1,600.  In  1899,  'le  bought,  for 
$2,150,  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  18. 
The  greater  part  of  his  farm  is  in  grain,  al- 
though cattle  raising  occupies  no  small  part  of 
his  time,  and  he  now  has  a  large  herd  of  beef 
cattle.  For  four  years  he  ran  a  milk  wagon 
to  Cheney,  and  at  that  time  had  mostly  Hol- 
stein  cattle.  Up  to  1879,  Wichita  was  his  near- 
est market  place,  and  there  he  also  received  his 
mail.  In  that  year,  a  postoffice  was  established 
at  Helen,  but  when  the  railroad  was  put  through 
and  the  village  of  Cheney  started,  the  postoffice 
was  transferred  to  the  last  named  place.  A 
part  of.  the  land  of  Mr.  Fearey's  farm  has  an 
underlying  strata  of  "keil,"  a  variety  of  stone, 
and  upon  this  portion  trees  do  not  grow  well, 
as  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  he  found  it  neces- 
sary to  replant  his  orchard,  which  is  now  in 
fair  condition.  This  Land  is,  however,  espe- 
cially adapted  to  wheat,  of  which  he  has  raised 
a  large  amount,  as  well  as  some  corn,  oats,  etc. 
Since  1897,  he  has  grown  a  great  deal  of 
Kaffir  corn,  for  feed.     Mr.  Fearey  has  always 


NEW   VOf^K 
/public  LIBR-VSV 


I.  L.  McHENRY. 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


395 


laliored  liard,  and  is  worthy  of  the  success 
whicli  lie  lias  met.  He  is  considered  one  of  the 
representative  farmers  of  Sedgwick  county. 

Mr.  Fearey  wedded  Annie  Buckingham, 
whose  father  was  an  early  settler  of  Ripley 
county,  Indiana,  where  he  preempted  a  large 
tract  of  land.  Nine  children  were  the  result  of 
this  union,  as  follows:  Charles;  Fannie;  Clara; 
Hattie;  Carlyle;  Daisy;  Annie;  Harry;  and 
John.  Charles  is  now  successfully  engaged  in 
farming  in  Erie  township;  he  married  Miss 
Hessel,  a  daughter  of  John  Hessel,  and  is  at 
present,  serving  as  township  trustee  of  Erie 
township.  Fannie  is  now  Mrs.  Allan,  of  King- 
man county,  Kansas,  and  has  three  children, 
John,  Ruth  and  Jesse.  Clara  is  Mrs.  Parham, 
living  one  mile  north  of  her  father's  place.  Hat- 
tie  married  a  Mr.  Krase,  who  is  engaged  in 
farming  in  the  vicinity  of  her  father ;  she  has 
one  child,  Rohert.  Carlyle  lives  at  home.  Daisy 
wedded  Mr.  Mogle,  a  prominent  farmer  of 
Sedgwick  county,  and  has  one  child.  Annie, 
Harry  and  John  live  at  home.  Politically,  Mr. 
Fearey  is  a  strong,  Republican,  and  has  served 
one  year  as  trustee,  and  many  years  as  school 
treasurer  of  district  No.  68.  He  was  also  town- 
ship treasurer  four  years.  In  relation  to  reli- 
gious matters,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  enter- 
tains lilieral  views. 


IL.   McHENRY,  the  leading  blacksmith 
of  his  locality,  and  an  artist  in  his  line 
*    of  work,  is  one  of  the  most  prominent 
and  highly  respected  citizens  of  Cheney,  Sedg- 


wick county,  Kansas,  where  he  has  made  his 
home  for  many  years.  He  was  born  in  1856, 
in  Rowan  county,  North  Carolina,  and  is  a 
son  of  G.  C.  McHenry. 

G.  C.  McHenry  learned  the  trade  of  a  black- 
smith in  North  Carolina,  followed  it  there 
many  years,  and  in  1866,  moved  to  the  state 
of  Illinois.  He  was  the  father  of  nine  children, 
namely:  Maggie,  who  was  married  to  a  Mr. 
Miller,  and  now  resides  in  Litchfield,  Illinois; 
I.  L. ;  Herbert,  who  is  a  Presbyterian  minister 
in  Minnesota;  Jesse,  who  is  a  traveling  sales- 
man and  makes  Madison,  Wisconsin,  his  head- 
quarters; Annie,  who  is  Mrs.  Washburn,  of 
Thayer,  Missouri ;  Jennie,  who  is  still  single 
and  keeps  house  for  her  brother,  I.  L. ;  Illinois, 
who  is  single  and  resides  in  the  state  of  that 
name;  Edward,  who  is  a  blacksmith  and  works 
for  I.  L. ;  and  Charles,  who  is  in  the  employ 
of  a  furnace  manufacturing  company,  of  Mil- 
waukee,  Wisconsin. 

I.  L.  McHenry  was  a  lad  of  ten  years  when 
his  father  moved  to  Illinois,  and  there  he  re- 
ceived the  greater  part  of  his  schooling,  al- 
though he  attended  school  a  few  years  in  his 
native  state.  When  a  young  man,  he  entered 
his  father's  shop  to  learn- blacksmithing,  and 
continued  to  work  for  him  until  after  his  mar- 
riage in  1884.  In  that  year,  he  moved  to 
Cheney,  Kansas,  where  he  intended  to  establish 
himself  in  the  blacksmith  business,  which  at 
that  time  was  represented  in  the  village  by  two 
other  shops.  These  two  shops  were  conducted 
by  men  who  were  considerably  addicted  to  in- 
dulgence in  liquor,  and  as  Mr.  McHenry  was 
a  total  abstainer,  he  gradually  gained  the  bulk 


396 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


of  the  trade.  From  his  habit  of  attending 
church  regularly  and  singing  religious  songs, 
was  gradually  applied  to  him  the  name  "Psalm- 
singer"  by  the  rougher  element,  then  numerous, 
and  after  a  time,  one  of  his  competitors  decided 
to  leave  Cheney,  his  reason  being  that  the 
"Psalm-singer"  had  secured  nearly  all  the  busi- 
ness. Mr.  McHenry  first  occupied  the  small 
shop  east  of  his  present  one,  which  was  18  by 
20  feet  in  size,  but  as  his  business  increased 
so  largely,  he  was  obliged  to  secure  more  room, 
and  accordingly  added  a  building  measuring 
20  feet.  This  he  used  until  1895,  when  he 
found  it  necessary  to  have  two  fires  and  an 
assistant.  He  now  employs  two  men  and  has 
established  a  trade  that  is  not  excelled  by  any 
other  blacksmith  in  the  village.  The  fact  that 
he  turns  out  nothing  but  first  class  work  has 
won  for  him  his  present  large  patronage.  In 
1895,  '^^  purchased  the  clothing  store  and  bar- 
ber shop  adjoining  his  place,  making  a  building 
76  by  24  feet  in  dimensions.  Air.  McHenry 
also  owns  other  real  estate,  including  a  neat 
little  home.  He  is  an  honest  and  straight- 
forward business  man.  always  doing  his  part 
to  promote  the  achancement  and  prosperity  of 
liis  \illage  and  county. 

Mr.  McHenry  was  married,  in  1884,  to  Jen- 
nie Hughes,  who  passed  from  this  life  in  Jan- 
uary, 1897,  leaving  two  children,  Guy  L.  and 
Zella,  both  of  whom  are  now  attending  school. 
To  show  the  esteem  in  which  Mr.  McHenry 
is  held  by  !iis  fellow  citizens,  he  has  been 
elected  councilman  and,  seven  times,  mayor  of 
Cheney,  and  is  now  serving  as  treasurer  of  the 
school  board.    W.  Walters,  a  real  estate  dealer, 


is  now  acting  mayor  of  the  village.  Mr.  Mc- 
Henry is  a  devoted  member  of  the  Christian 
church,  in  which  he  is  deacon.  Politically,  he 
is  a  strong  advocate  of  the  principles  of  the 
Democratic  party.  He  belongs  to  the  I.  O.  O. 
F.,  of  Cheney;  the  Rebekkahs;  and  the  M.  W. 
of  A.  A  portrait  of  Mr.  McHenry  accompanies 
this  sketch,  being  presented  on  a  preceding 
page. 


•ENRY  SCHNITZLER,  one  of  Wich- 
=H  ita's  most  prosperous  and  enterprising 
business  men,  is  engaged  in  the 
wholesale  liquor  business  at  No.  117  North 
Market  street,  and  is  agent  for  the  V'al  Blatz 
Brewing  Company.  He  has  a  large  establish- 
ment and  does  an  immense  business,  his  patron- 
age extending  over  a  wide  territory. 

Mr.  Schnitzler  was  born  in  1865,  in  the  town 
of  Jerseyville,  Jersey  county,  Illinois,  and  is  a 
son  of  Fritz  Schnitzler.  His  business  career 
began  in  a  drug  store  at  Norwich,  Kansas,  in 
association  w-ith  Ed  Schuh.  After  a  short  time 
he  moved  to  Wichita,  where  he  became  identi- 
fied in  business  relations  with  his  father.  When 
the  latter  retired  in  1885.  Henry  Schnitzler 
took  charge  of  the  concern.  He  greatly  en- 
larged it,  establishing  a  trade  as  far  west  as 
Dodge  City,  Kansas,  south  to  Oklahoma,  east 
to  Fall  River,  Kansas,  and  north  to  McPherson 
county,  Kansas.  He  is  at  all  times  represented 
on  the  road  l)y  two  traveling  salesmen.  He 
keeps  on  hand  a  large  stock  of  the  best  brands 
of  liquor  and  w'ines,  and  his  storage  occupies 
two  floors  and  a  basement.    He  has  a  large  re- 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


397 


tail  trade,  the  bar  being  located  in  the  rear  of 
the  Iniilding.  It  is  handsomely  fitted  up,  the  fix- 
tures being-  of  the  very  best.  He  is  a  man  of 
energy  and  enterprise,  and  his  large  custom 
I'epresents  years  of  hard  and  continuous  labor. 
He  is  possessed  of  many  fine  traits  of  character, 
has  a  genial  disposition,  and  is  very  popular 
with  his  fellow  citizens. 

Mr.  Schnitzler  was  united  in  m;u-riage  with 
Albertine  Bellman,  of  Wichita,  and  they  are 
the  happy  parents  of  three  children,  as  follows  : 
Albertine;  Henry,  Jr.;  and  Fritz.  Fraternally, 
he  is  a  member  of  Lodge  No.  13,  I.  O.  R.  M., 
of  Wichita,  Sons  of  Herman,  and  Knights  of 
the  Royal  Arch. 


"IRAM  SMITH,  a  prosperous  farmer  of 
Union  township,  Sedgwick  county, 
Kansas,  who  is  now  superintending 
his  daughter's  fine  farm  of  160  acres  in  section 
21,  was  born  in  Pottawattamie  county,  Iowa, 
on  April  18,  1852,  and  is  a  son  of  William  T. 
and  Rebecca  (Lacey)  Smith. 

William  T.  Smith  was  a  native  of  Lincoln- 
shire, England,  who  came  to  this  country  in 
1 850,  and  settled  in  what  was  then  known  as 
Stringtown,  a  hamlet  of  about  six  houses,  now 
the  site  of  Council  Bluffs.  There  he  purchased 
a  fine  farm,  now  comprised  in  the  city  of  Coun- 
cil Bluffs,  and  devoted  the  greater  portion  of 
his  time  to  cultivating  it.  although  he  w-orked 
somewhat  at  his  trade  of  carpenter,  acquired 
in  his  native  land.  Having  been  converted  in 
EnHand  to  the  doctrines  of  Mormonism,  Wil- 


liam T.  Smith  subsequently  went  to  Utah  and 
purchased  a  farm  50  miles  south  of  Salt  Lake 
City.  As  he  did  not  Ijelieve  in  polygamy,  how- 
e\-er,  and  did  nut  entirely  agree  with  his  asso- 
ciates in  the  Mormon  church,  he  finally,  after 
much  difficulty,  obtained  permission  to  return 
to  Iowa,  and  remained  there  until  1877,  when 
he  reuKned  to  Sedgwick  county.  On  a  previ- 
ous trip  to  Kansas,  lie  had  purchased  320  acres 
of  l.nnd  in  section  16,  Delano  township,  and 
on  this  he  settled,  cultivating  it  successfully 
until  he  retired,  leased  the  farm,  and  spent  his 
last  days  in  Wichita,  passing  away  on  August 
5,  1892,  at  the  age  of  seventy-six  years.  His 
wife,  with  her  son,  Joseph,  met  her  death  off 
the  coast  of  Ireland,  while  sailing  to  England 
in  the  "Cambria"  in  1872.  In  her  parents'  will 
certain  property  had  been  bequeathed  to  her, 
but  her  brother  would  not  deliver  it  except  to 
her  in  person,  and  she  therefore  undertook  the 
voyage.  To  these  good  people  were  born  the 
following  children:  John  T.,  deceased;  Dima- 
rious,  who  died  while  coming  to  this  country, 
and  was  buried  at  sea;  Thomas  L.,  of  Council 
Bluffs;  Joseph,  who  was  lost  in  the  wreck  with 
his  mother;  Hiram;  and  William  R.,  who  died 
at  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa,  in  1876.  The  second 
wife  of  William  T.  Smith  was  Sally  A.  Mul- 
len, who  sur\'ives  her  husband  and  resides  in 
California. 

Hiram  Smith  receivetl  l)ut  a  limited  school- 
ing and  began  to  earn  his  own  living  at  the  age 
of  nine  years.  After  his  marriage  his  father 
gave  him  a  farm,  two  and  a  half  miles  west  of 
Council  Bluffs,  but  when  the  Missouri  River 
changed  its  channel,  this  farm,  as  well  as  an- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


other  which  he  owned,  and  one  belonging  to  his 
brother,  were  washed  away,  leaving  but  30 
acres.  After  this  loss  Mr.  Smith  went  to  Coun- 
cil Bluffs  and  embarked  in  the  livery  business, 
remaining  there  three  years.  In  1877  he  re- 
moved to  Sedgwick  county  and  worked  for  his 
father  for  six  months,  after  which  he  purchased 
mule  teams  and  did  freighting  for  about  four 
and  a  half  years.  Having  accumulated  suffi- 
cient money,  he  then  purchased  320  acres  of  fine 
land  in  Delano  township,  which  he  afterwards 
sold  at  a  very  high  figure.  All  the  proceeds  of 
this  Mr.  Smith  was  unfortunate  enough  to  lose 
on  account  of  his  good  nature.  To  accommo- 
date a  friend  he  became  his  security  and  was 
forced  to  pay  the  entire  indebtedness.  For  a 
second  time  Mr.  Smith  had  been  vanquished  by 
fortune,  but  he  was  not  discouraged,  and  re- 
moving to  Colwich  township,  purchased  an- 
other farm.  This  was  later  foreclosed  and 
bought  in  by  Mr.  Smith's  daughter,  Emma  D. 
Smith,  and,  as  before  stated,  Mr.  Smith  super- 
intends the  entire  property.  He  makes  a  spe- 
cialty of  breeding  hogs  and  has  many  prize- 
winners contained  in  his  Maple  Grove  herd  of 
registered  Poland-China  swine. 

Hiram  Smith's  marriage  was  solemnized  in 
1872,  to  Frances  Barton  Smith,  the  accom- 
plished daughter  of  Thomas  and  Sarah  (Bar- 
ton) Smith,  natives  of  England.  Mrs.  Thomas 
Smith  located  in  Iowa,  in  1865,  and  later  mar- 
ried William  Wray.  By  her  union  with 
Thomas  Smith,  she  had  the  following  children  : 
Frances  Barton ;  Cecil,  a  resident  of  Nebraska; 
Emma,  of  Council  Bluffs;  and  John  T.,  of 
Iowa.     The  death  of  Mrs.  Wray,  mother  of 


Mrs.  Hiram  Smith,  occurred  in  1891,  at  Coun- 
cil Bluffs.  The  death  of  her  first  husband  oc- 
curred in  England  in  1861,  when  he  was  thirty- 
four  years  old.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hiram  Smith 
became  the  parents  of  the  following  family : 
Joseph  C,  born  March  20,  1873,  died  May  7, 
1898;  Emma  1).,  born  June  7,  1874;  T'rank  A., 
born  January  20,  1876,  died  September  12, 
1877;  Sarah  R.,  born  July  31,  1877;  and  Fran- 
ces M.,  born  May  10,  1882. 

Mr.  Smith  is  a  man  of  pleasant,  genial  man- 
ner, who  makes  many  friends,  with  few,  if  any, 
enemies,  and  understands  thoroughly  the  sci- 
ence of  farming.  The  home  farm  shows  the 
evidence  of  his  watchful  care,  and  his  home  life 
is  very  pleasant,  made  happy  by  his  wife  and 
interesting  family. 


OBERT  M.  PIATT,  a  very  talented 
lawyer  of  Wichita,  Kansas,  is  a  man 
whose  learning,  good  judgment  and 
sterling  honesty  have  won  for  him  a  place 
among  the  distinguished  men  of  his  commu- 
nity, and  no  one  has  acquired  a  more  enviable 
reputation  as  a  thorough  business  man  and  a 
public  spirited  citizen.  He  was  born  on  a 
farm  10  miles  from  Boonville,  Warrick  county, 
Indiana,  April  7,  1850,  and  is  a  son  of  Nathan 
and  Martha  (Boren)  Piatt. 

Nathan  Piatt  was  born  in  the  state  of  Ken- 
tucky in  1807,  and  was  a  typical  self  made  man. 
He  moved  to  Indiana  in  1832,  and  bought  40 
acres  of  timber  land  in  Warrick  county,  the 
purchase  price  being  $50.    He  built  a  log  cabin. 


NEW  YORK 
[public  L1BR*>RY 

Fmndations. 


ANTON  HAMKRSKY. 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


401 


in  which  he  hved  many  years,  and  liis  place 
was  paid  for  by  spHtting  wood.  In  order  to 
perform  that  work  he  was  compeHed  to  walk 
three  miles  every  day  before  reaching  the  loca- 
tion of  his  task.  He  then  cut  lumber  for  use 
in  the  making  of  flat  boats  and  subsequently 
iielped  to  run  the  boats  down  to  the  cities 
below,  where  their  goods  were  marketed.  By 
laying  aside  his  earnings  from  time  to  time 
he  soon  had  enough  to  buy  other  property, 
and  at  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  the  possess- 
or of  2,200  acres  of  the  finest  farming  land 
in  Warrick  county.  He  passed  from  this  life 
aged  seventy-two  years.  As  a  result  of  his 
marriage  witii  Martha  Boren  eleven  children 
were  born,  and  of  these  the  following  seven 
grew  to  maturity:  Mrs.  Malinda  P.  Bates; 
Charles  W. ;  Martha;  Nathan  H. ;  Mary  J., 
the  wife  of  Albert  Cool ;  Robert  M. ;  and 
Esther  Boner. 

Robert  M.  Piatt  worked  about  his  father's 
farm  until  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age,  alter- 
nating such  labor  with  attending  the  district 
schools,  and  then  became  a  student  at  the  state 
university  at  Bloomington,  Indiana.  Upon  his 
graduation,  he  began  the  study  of  law  and  in 
1874  he  was  admitted  to  practice.  He  at  once 
began  practice  at  Boonville,  and  during  the 
eight  years  of  his  stay  there  served  four  years 
as  assistant  county  attorney  and  four  years  as 
city  attorney;  he  was  also  a  member  of  the 
board  of  education  for  three  years.  ■  In  1882, 
he  moved  west,  to  Wichita,  Kansas,  where  he 
has  since  pursued  his  chosen  calling  and  has 
gained  considerable  prominence  as  an  expert 
on  titles.    He  has  a  wide  circle  of  acquaintance 


throughout  the  city  and  county,  and  is  regarded 
as  an  upright  citizen,  and  a  liberal  and  kind 
hearted  man. 

Mr.  Piatt  was  joined  in  wedlock  with  Alma 
Fellows,  a  daughter  of  Henry  Fellows.  In 
politics,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  stanch 
Democrat  and  a  leader  in  his  conununity.  He 
was  appointed  to  fill  a  vacancy  on  the  board  of 
education  antl,  in  1900,  was  elected  to  that 
body.  Mr.  Piatt  is  a  man  of  exalted  principles, 
and  one  who  possesses  in  an  eminent  degree 
the  respect  of  his  fellow  citizens. 


NTON  HAMERSKY,  a  prosperous  and 
ighly  respected  farmer  of  Grand  River 
township,  Sedgwick  county,  Kan- 
sas, has  for  many  years  been  one  of  the  county's 
most  progressive  citizens.  Through  persever- 
ance and  years  of  toil  he  has  attained  his  pres- 
ent position  as  one  of  the  best  farmers  in  his 
portion  of  the  county.  Mr.  Hamersky  was  born 
in  Prussia,  Germany,  and  is  a  son  of  Peter  and 
Gertrude  Hamersky.  His  mother  is  dead,  but 
his  father  resides  with  him.  Seven  children 
were  the  result  of  his  parents'  union,  as  fol- 
l(jws :  John,  Kate,  Mary,  all  deceased ;  Paulina, 
now  Mrs.  Knobloch,  of  Dakota  county,  Minne- 
sota; Christina,  a  widow,  living  in  Goddard, 
Kansas;  Anton;  and  Mary  Ann,  deceased. 
When  Mr.  Hamersky  was  nine  years  of  age, 
the  family  moved  to  the  United  States,  locating 
in  Minnesota. 

After  attending  the  common  school  in  Min- 
nesota, Mr.  Hamersky  in  1875  moved  to  Kan- 


402 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


sas,  ami  tlie  remainder  of  the  family  settled  in 
the  same  state  the  following  year.  Mr.  Ham- 
ersky  bought  the  east  half  of  the  east  half  of 
section  28,  township  2"],  range  4,  west,  and, 
after  clearing  the  place,  set  out  an  orchard  of 
five  acres,  and  built  a  small  house,  in  whicii  lie 
lived  until  he  built  his  present  two-story,  seven- 
room  house,  which  cost  him  upward  of  $1,500. 
In  1894,  Mr.  Hamersky  added  to  his  first  farm 
the  property  east  of  it,  comprising  the  west  half 
of  section  27.  The  southwest  quarter  was  ob- 
tained from  Daniel  Feager,  and  was  formerly 
owned  by  a  man  named  Richardson.  The 
northwest  quarter  was  purchased,  later,  from 
John  Gaiter.  Mr.  Hamersky  has  devoted  all 
his  time  to  stock  and  grain  raising,  and  has 
been  very  successful. 

Anton  Hamersky  was  united  in  marriage 
witli  Lizzie  Dold,  wliose  fatlier  was  a  cousin 
of  Jacob  Dold,  of  the  Jacob  Dold  Packing  Com- 
pany. Mrs.  Hamersky  was  born  in  Detroit, 
Michigan,  and  is  a  lady  of  many  estimable 
qualities.  She  has  been  the  mother  of  nine 
children,  who  are  as  follows:  Lena;  Mary; 
Anton,  Ja. ;  Gertrude;  Jolm  ;  Hattie;  Aloysius; 
Lizzie;  and  Armella.  Tiie  family  attend  the 
German  Catholic  church,  and  are  highly  re- 
spected in  the  community. 


AMUEL  H.  HOOVER  has  been  a 
resident  of  Sedgwick  county,  Kansas, 
for  thirty-one  years,  during  which 
time  he  has  attained  considerable  prominence 
as  a  successful  farmer,  and  enjoys  a  wide  repu- 


tation as  being  an  enterprising  and  public  spir- 
ited citizen.  He  may  be  classed  among  the 
earliest  pioneers  of  Sedgwick  county,  and  to 
men  of  such  character  is  attributable  the  rank 
of  this  county  as  one  of  the  best  agricultural 
centers  in  the  state  of  Kansas.  He  was  born 
January  17,  1844,  in  Pendleton  county,  Vir- 
ginia, and  is  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Margaret 
(Brady)  Hoover. 

Samuel  H.  Hoover's  father,  who  was  a 
farmer  throughout  his  entire  life,  left  his  na- 
tive state,  Virginia,  in  1857,  and  moved  west 
to  Delaware  county,  Ohio.  In  the  following 
year  he  moved  to  McLean  county,  Illinois, 
where  he  lived  until  his  death,  in  1868.  His 
widow  accompanied  her  son,  Samuel  H.,  to 
Kansas,  where  she  passed  from  this  life,  in 
1874.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Samuel  Hoover  were  the 
parents  of  the  following  children :  Amanda, 
Deniza,  deceased;  Mary,  who  lives  in  Virginia; 
Sarah,  deceased;  Hannah,  who  is  the  wife  of 
Caleb  Teter,  a  farmer  of  Wichita  township; 
Lucretia,  who  lives  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio;  Daniel, 
deceased;  Andrew,  who  is  a  farmer  in  McLean 
county,  Illinois ;  and  Samuel  H. 

Samuel  H.  Hoover  obtained  his  early  school- 
ing in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  town, 
but  the  more  useful  part  of  his  mental  training 
has  resulted  from  actual  business  experience. 
Though  yet  in  his  teens,  he  enlisted  in  the 
Union  Army,  in  August,  1S62,  joining  Com- 
pany F,  94th  Reg.,  111.  Vol.  Inf.,  which  was 
under  Col.  John  McNulty.  During  his  long 
service  in  the  army,  which  lasted  until  1865. 
he  took  part  in  many  engagements.  He  was 
in  battle  at  Prairie  Grove,  Van  Buren,  Vicks- 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


403 


burg,  Fort  Morgan,  Albany  and  Spanish 
Fort.  Although  he  endured  many  hardships 
throughout  that  deadly  struggle,  he  fortunately 
never  received  a  bullet  wound.  Returning 
home,  he  spent  several  months  there,  but  since 
October  i6,  1869,  he  has  been  a  constant  resi- 
dent of  Kansas.  On  that  date  he  took  up  a 
government  claim,  consisting  of  the  southwest 
quarter  of  section  22,  Wichita  townshi]i,  upon 
which  he  lived  until  the  spring  of  1880,  during 
which  period  he  made  extensive  improvements 
thereon.  Besides  erecting  numerous  outbuild- 
ings, he  set  out  more  than  three  miles  of  hedge. 
In  1880  he  bought  the  west  half  of  section  18, 
Wichita  township,  consisting  of  279  acres, 
having  disposed  of  his  first  claim,  and  on  the 
last  purchase  he  lived  until  1883.  He  then  sold 
it  and  purchased  his  present  property,  known 
as  the  John  Exton  farm,  which  is  tlie  north- 
west (|uarter  of  section  23,  Delano  township. 
In  the  following  year  he  built  a  handsome  resi- 
dence, which  was  burned  down  in  1896,  and 
he  has  since  occupied  the  house  where  he  now 
resides.  Mr.  Hoover  has  an  orchard  of  100 
acres,  of  which  10  acres  are  in  peaches,  two 
and  a  half  acres  in  grapes,  and  the  remainder 
is  in  many  different  kinds  of  fruit,  chiefly  ap- 
ples. Besides  fruit,  he  raises  all  kinds  of  grain 
and  cattle.  He  is  one  of  the  most  extensive 
and  substantial  farmers  of  the  vicinity,  and 
has  hosts  of  friends  throughout  the  county, 
where  he  has  resided  for  so  many  years. 

Mr.  Hoover  was  married  in  May,  1867,  to 
Eliza  Teter,  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Mar- 
garet Teter,  and  they  had  the  following  chil- 
dren:    William  C,  Edwin,  Maude,  Mabel,  and 


Birdie.  William  C.  is  a  farmer  in  Delano 
township,  and  man-icd  Lillie  Simmons,  by 
wlinin  he  has  two  children,  Berryne  and  Sam- 
uel. Edwin,  who  was  for  many  years  a  profes- 
sional baseball  player,  but  is  now  engaged  in 
farming,  married  Julia  Walton.  Mantle  is 
the  wife  of  Dick  Dodd.  turnkey  at  the  Wichita 
jail,  and  has  one  son,  Chester.  Mabel  lives  at 
home,  and  Birdie  is  the  youngest  of  the  family. 
Samuel  H.  Hoover  belongs  to  Garfield  Post, 
No.  25,  G.  A.  R.  Although  he  is  deeply  in- 
terested in  politics  and  adheres  to  Republican 
principles,  he  has  never  sought  a  political  po- 
sition. 


HARLES  H.  BROOKS,  one  of  Wichi- 
ta's most  enterprising  citizens,  is  an 
able  attorney-at-law  of  that  city, 
where  he  has  a  large  and  lucrative  practice. 
The  firm  of  Houston  &  Brooks,  of  which  he  is 
a  member,  stands  high  among  the  legal  partner- 
ships of  the  county. 

Mr.  Brooks  was  born  in  Aulturn,  California, 
in  November,  1859,  and  is  a  son  of  Julius  P. 
Brooks,  who  was  born  in  Windsor  county, 
Vermoiit.  He  comes  of  sturdy  New  England 
stock  and  some  of  his  ancestors  participated  in 
the  Revolutionary  War.  .\ftcr  his  marriage, 
Julius  P.  Brooks  went  to  California,  about 
1850,  and  followed  mining  until  his  death,  in 
1 861.  He  left  a  widow  and  two  sons,  and  the 
mother  immediately  returned  to  her  home  in 
Vermont.  There  Charles  H.  Brooks  was 
reared  and  received  his  mental  training.  He 
attended  Montpelier  Seminary,  and  while  yet 


404 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


a  young  man  moved  west  to  Marion,  Iowa, 
where  he  enteredjUpon  tlie  study  of  law  with  J. 
C.  Davis,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1883. 
He  then  began  to  practice  with  his  preceptor 
and  continued  thus  until  1886,  when  he  moved 
to  Wichita,  Kansas,  during  its  early  boom. 
He  became  a  partner  of  David  Smythe,  under 
the  firm  style  of  Smythe  &  Brooks,  which  was 
afterward  changed  to  Smythe,  Brooks  &  Cofifin, 
the  last  named  being  C.  F.  Coffin,  now  of 
Indianapolis.  He  was  subsequently  associated 
with  Judge  T.  B.  Wall,  and  in  1898  established 
the  law  firm  of  Houston  &  Brooks,  his  partner 
being  Joseph  D.  Houston.  Both  are  men  of 
recognized  ability,  with  a  comprehensive  knowl- 
edge of  the  law,  and  they  enjoy  a  successful 
practice.  Mr.  Brooks  is  a  director  of  the  Kan- 
sas National  Bank,  Wichita  Gas  &  Electric 
Power  Company,  and  Wichita  Perpetual  Build- 
ing &  Loan  Association. 

Charles  H.  Brooks  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Jane  Lillie,  a  daughter  of  W.  L.  Lillie, 
of  Marion,  Iowa,  and  they  have  four  children : 
Willard  L. ;  Helen ;  Catherine ;  and  Josephine. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  became  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  lodge  and  chapter  at  Marion,  Iowa, 
served  as  past  high  priest,  and  is  now  a  member 
of  Wichita  Lodge,  No.  99,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and 
is  a  Knight  Templar. 

Joseph  D.  Houston,  the  partner  of  Mr. 
Brooks,  was  born  in  Bourbon  county,  Ken- 
tucky, March  17,  1858,  and  is  a  son  of  F.  W. 
Houston.  He  attended  Kentucky  University 
and  began  the  study  of  law  at  Shelbyville,  Ken- 
tucky, with  Caldwell  &  Howard,  and  then  took 


a  course  in  the  Cincinnati  Law  School.  He 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1879,  and  after- 
ward practiced  his  profession  and  taught  school 
at  the  same  time.  In  i88i,  he  removed  to 
Wichita,  Kansas,  and  successfully  engaged  in 
general  practice.  He  married  Fanny  Eddy, 
of  Michigan,  and  they  have  two  children, 
Alene  and  Gwen.  Mr.  Houston  is  a  promi- 
nent Mason  and  Knight  Templar. 


ILLIAM  C.  BROWN,  a  prosper- 
ous farmer  residing  in  Greeley  town- 
ship, Sedgwick  county,  Kansas, 
where  he  owns  the  southwest  quarter  of  section 
30,  is  a  man  of  high  character  and  public  spirit, 
being  held  in  the  greatest  esteem  in  the  com- 
munity of  whicli  he  is  a  member. 

Mr.  Brown  was  born  August  19,  1844,  in 
Brown  county,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  George 
W.  and  Eleanor  (Bayne)  Brown,  both  natives 
of  Ohio.  George  W.  Brown  lived  and  died  in 
Brown  county,  Ohio,  where  he  had  purchased 
land,  when  a  young  man.  He  also  learned  the 
trade  of  a  plasterer,  in  addition  to  farming, 
and  worked  at  this  trade  with  much  success  in 
many  of  the  cities  of  the  South,  although  his 
time  was  mainly  devoted  to  agricultural  pur- 
suits. He  became  a  very  prosperous  man,  and 
upon  his  death  left  his  family  in  comfortable 
circumstances.  He  married  Eleanor  Bayne,  a 
daughter  of  Samuel  Bayne,  of  Ohio,  and  the 
following  children  blessed  their  union :  Mary 
E.,  born  February  2,  1836;  Samuel,  born  July 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


405 


2,  1838;  John  C,  born  November  14,  1840; 
William  C,  the  subject  of  this  personal  his- 
tory; and  Helen,  born  May  29,  1847.  I"  ''^'i" 
gious  belief,  the  family  were  members  of  the 
Christian  church.  Mr.  Brown  died  in  1887,  at 
the  age  of  seventy-seven  years  and  ten  days. 
His  widow,  who  was  born  in  the  year  181 2, 
still  survives,  and  enjoys  good  health  at  the 
ripe  old  age  of  eighty-eight  years,  residing  at 
the  old  family  hoiuestead  in  Brown  coimty, 
Ohio. 

William  C.  Brown  was  mentally  trained  in 
the  public  schools  of  Brown  county,  Ohio,  and 
remained  at  home  until  he  reached  the  age  of 
nineteen  years,  when  he  enlisted.  May  2,  1864, 
in  Company  K,  162nd  Reg.,  Ohio  Vol.  Inf., 
in  answer  to  the  call  for  men  for  100  days' 
service.  He  was  discharged  September  10, 
1864,  upon  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  serv- 
ice. He  immediately  reenlisted  in  Company 
G,  193rd  Reg.,  Ohio  Vol.  Inf.,  Second  Divi- 
sion, Army  of  the  Shenandoah,  under  Captain 
James  B.  Crevistan,  and  served  until  the  close 
of  the  war.  He  then  returned  home,  after  re- 
ceiving his  discharge,  and  in  February,  1866, 
came  west,  to  Missouri,  and  purchased  a  farm 
in  Pettis  county.  Five  years  later  he  sold  the 
farm,  and  in  1871  moved  to  Kansas,  home- 
steading  his  present  property  in  Greeley  town- 
ship, Sedgwick  county.  He  has  since  tilled  the 
soil  in  a  most  successful  manner,  and  devotes 
his  highly  improved  property  to  general  farm- 
ing. 

December  12,  1867,  Mr.  Brown  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Melissa  L.  Kirkpatrick,  a  native 
of  Brown  county,   Ohio,   and  a  daughter  of 


Finney  Kirkpatrick.  This  union  resulted  in 
four  children:  Mabel  C. ;  Willie;  Lola  E. ;  and 
(jcorge  F.  Mabel  C.  is  the  wife  of  James 
Curry,  of  Greeley  township,  and  has  two  chil- 
dren, Corland  B.  and  Jesse  M.  Willie  is  de- 
ceased. Lola  E.,  who  is  a  graduate  of  the 
state  normal  school  at  Emporia,  Kansas,  is  now 
]irincipal  of  the  school  at  Garden  Plain,  Kan- 
sas, and  is  considered  a  very  eflicient  instructor. 
George  F.  is  attending  the  Gem  City  Business 
College,  at  Ouincy,  Illinois.  The  subject  of 
this  sketch  is  a  member  of  S.  A.  Gilbert  Post, 
No.  354,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Mount  Hope,  Kansas. 
He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Christian 
church. 


AX  C.  FALK,  a  representative 
farmer  of  Sedgwick  county,  Kansas, 
is  the  owner  of  160  acres  of  valu- 
able land  located  in  section  2,  Sherman  town- 
ship. Farming  has  been  his  occupation  all 
his  life,  and  the  fact  that  he  has  met  with  a  high 
desrree  of  success  is  no  doubt  due  to  his  im- 
proved  methods  of  operating  his  farm.  He 
was  born  in  Crefeld,  Germany,  January  23, 
1854,  and  is  a  son  of  Henry  Falk. 

Henry  Falk  was  born  in  Germany,  and  in 
1857  left  his  native  country  to  try  his  fortune 
in  the  United  States.  Upon  his  arrival  he  at 
once  moved  to  Watertown,  Wisconsin,  where 
he  carried  on  farming.  In  his  early  life  he  was 
a  carpenter,  but  after  he  became  a  resident  of 
this  countiw  he  followed  the  vocation  of  a 
farmer.  In  1865,  he  bought  his  first  land, 
which,  consisting  of  raw  prairie,  he  cultivated 


406 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


until  lie  li:ul  it  in  a  first  class  condition.  In 
1879,  lie  sold  his  farm  in  Wisconsin,  and  mov- 
ing west  to  Atchison.  Kan.sas,  bought  155  acres 
of  good  land.  He  spent  his  remaining  days  in 
tilling  this  tract,  and  succeeded  in  transforming 
it  into  a  very  valuable  piece  of  farming  projv 
erty.  He  died  in  1896,  aged  eighty  years,  one 
month  and  ten  days.  His  wife  was  Wilhelmina 
Clout,  a  native  of  the  same  district  as  Mr.  Falk, 
and  to  them  were  born  the  following  nine  chil- 
dren :  Englebert :  Joseph ;  Mary ;  Ernest ;  Max ; 
.'\nnie;  Alexander;  Christina;  and  Charles. 
When  Mr.  Falk  had  resided  in  this  country  long 
enough  he  took  out  his  naturalization  papers, 
and  ever  afterward  voted  the  Democratic 
ticket.  Mrs.  Falk  is  still  living,  and  has  at- 
tained the  age  of  eighty-one  years. 

Max  Falk  obtained  an  elementary  education 
in  the  Catholic  schools  of  his  native  town,  and 
at  Watertown.  Wisconsin.  At  the  age  of 
twenty  years  he  left  home  and  worked  out  at 
different  points  in  Michigan  and  Illinois.  When 
his  parents  located  in  Kansas  he  accompanied 
them,  and  until  1882  managed  the  farm  pur- 
chased by  his  father.  In  that  year,  he  rented 
the  farm  owned  by  his  father-in-law.  In  1893, 
he  settled  on  his  present  farm  in  Sedgwick 
county,  which  he  has  developed  into  an  excel- 
lent condition.  Upon  it  he  raises  mostly  grain, 
although  he  deals  extensively  in  stock.  He  is 
a  good  neighbor  and  citizen  and  has  many 
warm  friends  in  his  adopted  community. 

Mr.  Falk  was  married  on  November  22, 
1882,  to  Anna  Intfen,  a  daughter  of  William 
Intfen,  of  Atchison,  Kansas,  and  their  union 
resulted  in  a  family  of  1 1  children,  as  follows : 


W'iJiiani;  Minnie,  deceased;  Jnhn;  Max  A.; 
Lizzie  and  Mary — twins,  deceased;  Emma; 
.Anna;  Caroline;  and  two  who  died  in  infancy. 
Politically,  Mr.  Falk  is  a  strong  Democrat, 
and  is  now  serving  as  treasurer  of  Sherman 
township.     In  religious  belief,  he  is  a  Catholic. 


Ji 


R.  WILLIAM  A.  MINICK,  one  of 
the  most  progressive  citizens  of 
Wichita,  Kansas,  has  attained  a 
marked  degree  of  success  in  the  practice  of 
medicine.  He  is  possessed  of  the  highest  quali- 
fications, is  familiar  with  all  modern  treatments 
in  medical  science,  and  has  met  with  excellent 
results  in  handling  even  the  most  complicated 
cases.  , 

Dr.  Minick  was  born  in  Montpelier,  Indiana, 
in  1854,  and  is  a  son  of  Rev.  Samuel  Minick, 
a  prominent  Baptist  minister.  He  received  his 
education  in  the  common  schools  and  in  Oak- 
land City  Seminary,  from  which  he  was  gradu- 
ated in  1879;  he  then  taught  school  in  southern 
Indiana  and  Illinois  for  ten  years.  He  began 
the  study  of  medicine  at  an  institution  of  the 
old  school  in  Louisville,  Kentucky,  and  was 
graduated  in  1881.  He  then  began  to  practice 
at  Booneville,  Indiana,  with  Dr.  J.  T.  Dickie, 
now  of  Dallas,  Texas.  In  1882,  he  moved  to 
Carmi,  Illinois,  and  practiced  alone  with  much 
success.  He  next  entered  the  Hahnemann  Col- 
lege, in  Chicago,  and  was  graduated  in  1884, 
after  which  he  moved  to  Wichita,  Kansas, 
where  he  has  since  lived  and  practiced.  He 
was  successful  from  the  start  and  acquired  a 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


407 


very  large  patronage.  He  was  the  first  tenant 
in  the  building  in  which  he  is  now  located, 
where  he  has  fitted  up  elegant  apartments, 
equipped  with  all  conveniences  for  his  business. 
In  addition  to  his  practice,  he  has  been  a  very 
active  man  in  promoting  the  development  of 
the  city  of  Wichita.  During  18S7  and  1888, 
he  built  several  houses,  and  was  one  of  the 
originators  of  the  Forest  City  Dry  Pressed 
Brick  plant,  being  president  of  the  company 
during  its  existence.  In  1899,  he  built  a  hand- 
some modern  residence  at  the  corner  of  St. 
Francis  avenue  and  Ninth  street,  where  he  now 
li\'es. 

Dr.  Minick  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Bertha  G.  McKinney,  a  daughter  of  John  Mc- 
Kinney,  of  Newburgh,  Indiana,  and  they  be- 
came parents  of  three  children:  A.  Dean; 
Blanche,  who  died  young;  and  Aileen.  Fra- 
ternally, he  is  a  member  of  Lodge  No.  99, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  has  passed  through  all  of 
the  intermediate  orders,  to  the  Scottish  Rites 
degree.  He  also  belongs  to  Lodge  No.  296, 
I.  O.  O.  F. — of  which  he  is  past  grand — 
and  to  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  He  is  a  medical 
examiner  of  the  Massachusetts  Mutual  Life 
Insurance  Company,  and  a  nrember  of  the  board 
of  United  States  pension  examiners.  He  has 
memberships  in  the  Homeopathic  State  Medical 
Society  (of  wdiich  he  is  ex-president),  the 
American  Institute  of  Homeopathy,  and  the 
Missouri  Valley  Homeopathic  Association.  Po- 
litically, Dr.  Minick  is  a  stanch  Republican  and 
has  taken  an  active  part  in  national  and  local 
politics.  He  was  a  congressional  committee- 
man from  the  Seventh  District  of  Kansas  for 


six  years  for  Hon.  Chester  T.  Long.  He  has 
been  a  member  of  the  board  of  health,  and  is 
now  on  the  staff  of  the  St.  Francis  and  Wichita 
hospitals. 


ON.  RODOLPH  HATFIELD,  a  dis- 
tinguished attorney  at  law  and  general 
lusiness  man  (.)f  Wichita,  Kansas, 
has  held  a  number  of  public  ofikes — having 
served  two  terms  in  the  state  legislature.  As 
a  lawyer  he  makes  a  specialty  of  corporation 
law,  particularly  municipal  bond  law,  and  rep- 
resents many  large  eastern  concerns.  He  is 
well  versed  in  the  law,  keen  of  intellect,  a  pro- 
found thinker,  and  has  the  rare  record  up  to 
this  writing,  of  having  never  lost  a  municipal 
bond  case. 

Mr.  Hatfield  was  born  in  London,  Madison 
county,  Ohio,  October  6,  1854,  and  is  a  son 
of  Rensselaer  Reed  Hatfield.  He  attended 
Lincoln  University,  in  Illinois,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  in  1876,  and  then  began  the 
study  of  law  with  the  firm  of  Hoblitt  &  Foley. 
He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  June  11,  1878. 
June  17,  1878,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Hattie  E.  Harts,  a  daughter  of  John  Harts, 
and  a  native  of  Reading,  Pennsylvania.  After 
his  marriage,  owing  to  the  ill  health  of  his 
wife,  he  moved  to  Trinidad,  Colorado,  and 
there  practiced  his  profession  for  one  year. 
Wichita,  then  a  thriving  little  city  and  a 
healthy  place,  was  decided  upon  as  his  next 
location.     He  was  engaged  in  general  practice 


408 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


for  several  years,  but  during  tlie  past  ten  years 
has  devoted  his  attention  to  corporation  law, 
especially,  as  stated  above,  to  municipal  bond 
law.  He  is  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Bentley 
&  Hatfield,  organized  in  1885.  His  firm  are 
general  attorneys,  west  of  the  Missouri  River, 
for  many  eastern  life  insurance  companies, 
trust  companies  and  banks  of  the  New  England 
States,  and  New  York  City,  representing  the 
interests  of  these  clients  in  Colorado,  Kansas, 
Nebraska,  Oklahoma  and  New  Mexico.  In 
1883  Mr.  Hatfield  established  and  for  about 
three  years  was  president  of  the  Bank  of  Com- 
merce, which  was  eventually  merged  into  the 
Bank  of  Wichita,  and  is  now  the  Fourth  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Wichita.  He  served  as  director 
and  charter  member  of  the  West  Side  National 
Bank,  from  1888  to  1893,  ^"<1  has  been  active- 
ly identified  with  other  public  enterprises.  He 
holds  large  mining  interests  in  the  lead  and 
zinc  fields  of  Missouri.  He  has  built  and  sold 
over  100  houses  in  ^\'ichita,  and  built  his  own 
handsome  residence  at  No.  430  Seneca  street. 
In  1884,  he  was  elected  to  the  state  legisla- 
ture by  the  Republican  party,  and  was  reelect- 
ed in  1886.  From  1889  to  1893,  he  was  pres- 
ident of  the  lioard  of  regents  of  the  Kansas 
State  Normal  School,  and  he  is  a  member  of 
the  board  of  education  of  ^\'ichita,  for  the  term 
extending  from  1898  to  1902.  In  the  winter 
of  1895,  ^'i"-  Hatfield  was  prominently  men- 
tioned by  the  Republican  press  of  the  state  for 
the  office  of  United  States  senator  from  Kan- 
sas.    By  education  and  training    he    is    well 


fitted  for  that  distinguished  {losition.  .Al- 
though he  has  never  been  an  avowed  candidate 
for  it,  his  friends  hold  him  as  a  tentative  can- 
didate. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hatfield  are  parents  of  six 
ciiildren,  namely:  Rudolph  H.,  who  graduates 
from  Princeton  University  with  the  class  of 
1901,  and  is  contemplating  teaching;  Merle 
E. ;  Herbert  H. ;  Paul  C. ;  Rachel  X. ;  and  Ken- 
neff  E.  Fraternally.  Mr.  Hatfield  is  a  member 
of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  of 
which  he  is  past  grand,  and  of  the  encampment ; 
Modern  \\'oodmen  of  America  (having  passed 
through  all  the  chairs  of  the  order)  ;  the  An- 
cient Order  of  United  Workmen;  and  the 
Knights  and  Ladies  of  Security. 


/^J^-  FORGE  D.  OSBORN  is  one  of  the 
I  5T  substantial  farmers  of  Sedgwick  coun- 
ty, Kansas,  where  he  is  the  owner  of 
260  acres  of  fine  farming  land,  which  is  located 
in  section  2-j,  township  26,  range  2,  west.  He 
was  bbrn  in  Jersey  county,  Illinois,  in  October, 
1858,  and  is  a  son  of  James  H.  Osbom. 

James  H.  Osborn  resided  in  Jersey  county, 
Illinois,  for  many  years,  where  he  was  engaged 
in  farming.  In  1S68  he  moved  his  family  to 
Andrew  county,  Missouri,  and  there  pur- 
chased a  tract  of  land  consisting  of  300  acres. 
He  was  a  hard  worker,  but  died  before  he  suc- 
ceeded in  paying  for  his  place.  His  death  oc- 
curred in  February,  1869,  at  the  age  of  sixty 


CHARLES  V.  FERGUSON. 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


411 


years.  He  was  twice  married,  and  all  the 
members  of  his  first  family  died  early  in  life. 
His  second  union  was  with  Mrs.  Mary  J. 
(Brambett)  McGee,  who,  by  her  first  husband, 
James  McGee,  had  four  children,  namely : 
Thomas,  John,  James  and  Keturah.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Osborn  reared  three  sons,  who  were 
named  as  follows :  Perry,  Norman  and  George 
D.  In  politics  James  H.  Osborn  was  a  stanch 
Democrat.  In  religious  attachments  he  and  his 
family  were  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  His  widow  passed  from  this  world  in 
May,  1896,  aged  seventy-seven  years. 

After  the  death  of  the  father,  his  family  sold 
the  farm,  and  with  their  only  possessions,  a 
nuile,  a  cow  and  $80  in  money,  they  moved  to 
Kansas.  They  preempted  a  tract  of  land  in 
Sedgwick  county,  upon  which  they  made  ex- 
tensive improvements,  and  which,  during  the 
Kansas  boom  of  1884,  they  sold  for  a  neat  sum 
of  money.  George  D.  Osborn  then  purchased 
his  present  farm,  which  is  all  choice  land  for 
tilling,  and  which  he  has  since  put  into  a  good 
state  of  cultivation.  He  raises  all  kinds  of 
grain,  his  yearly  output  being  a  trifle  over  4,000 
bushels,  and  he  generally  keeps  about  40  head 
of  cattle  and  horses  and  about  70  head  of  hogs. 
Mr.  Osborn  is  a  practical  farmer,  and  enjoys  a 
reputation  throughout  his  adopted  county  as  a 
good  neighbor,  friend  and  loyal  citizen. 

Mr.  Osborn  was  joined  in  marriage  with 
Marguerite  Dupey,  a  daughter  of  Milton  Du- 
pey,  who  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Illi- 
nois, and  to  this  happy  union  a  family  of  si.x 
children  were  born.  They  were  named  as  fol- 
lows:     David,   Sherman,  Lee,  Ross,  Thomas 


and  Dean.  In  politics  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
is  an  earnest  supporter  of  the  Democratic  party. 
In  religious  matters  he  is  inclined  to  be  liberal. 


T^HARLES  V.   FERGUSON,  a  gcntle- 
1   Ji       man     of     prominence     in     Sedgwick 

^* '  county,      Kansas,      whose     portrait 

accompanies  this  brief  sketch  of  his  life,  is 
one  of  the  ablest  lawyers  of  Wichita,  where 
he  has  been  located  since  1885.  He  is  proba- 
bly as  well  known  as  any  lawyer  in  his  sec- 
tion of  the  state,  and  commands  an  extensive 
practice.  He  was  born  in  Fountain  county, 
Indiana,   November   12,    i860. 

Mr.  Ferguson  was  reared  and  received  his 
early  education  in  his  native  county.  He  en- 
tered the  Indianapolis  Law  School  at  Indian- 
apolis, and  was  graduated  with  the  class  of 
1882.  He  immediately  entered  upon  a  prac- 
tice with  the  firm  of  Duncan  &  Smith  of  that 
city,  of  which  he  has  since  been  a  member. 
In  1885,  he  came  west  to  Wichita,  Kansas, 
and  began  practicing  alone,  becoming  attorney 
for  the  Missouri  Pacific  Railway  Company. 
He  served  as  such  for  six  years,  and  then  be- 
came identified  with  the  Atchison,  Topeka  & 
Santa  Fe  Railway  Coiupany,  in  a  similar 
capacity.  He  held  the  latter  position  for  nine 
years.  In  the  meantime  he  established  a  large 
general  practice,  having  clients  in  various  parts 
of  the  state.  He  has  spacious  office  rooms  at 
the  corner  of  Douglas  and  Main  streets.  Many 
bright  students  of  law  have  started  to  fit 
.  themselves  for  the  profession  under  his  tute- 


412 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


lage,  and  lie  lias  given  tliem  every  considera- 
tion, careful  instruction  and  has  done  wliat- 
c\er  was  possible  to  furtlier  them  in  tlieir 
work.  Among  those  who  have  since  attained 
a  high  degree  of  success  since  leaving  him 
may  he  mentioned  Milton  Detcli  of  Colorado. 
Mr.  Ferguson  was  united  in  marriage  in 
August,  1893,  with  Emma  Snoddy,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Samuel  I.  Snoddy  of  Indiana,  by  wliom 
he  had  one  son,  Ralph  Benton,  who  died  at  tlie 
age  of  two  years.  Fraternally,  he  is  a  member 
of  Albert  Pike  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  has 
taken  the  Scottish  Rites  degree. 


E.  HOWARD,  ex-chairman  of  the 
board  of  county  commissioners  of  Sedg- 
wick county,  Kansas,  has  for  many 
years  been  a  prominent  public  figure.  He  will 
long  be  remembered  for  his  connection  with 
the  Trans-Missouri  Freight  Association  litiga- 
tion, one  of  the  most  famous  cases  ever 
passed  upon  by  the  United  States  Supreme 
Court.  He  is  a  lawyer  by  profession,  and 
ably  assisted  United  States  District  Attorney 
Ady  in  championing  the  people's  cause.  The 
decision  was  far  reaching  in  its  effect,  and 
has  been  of  material  benefit  to  all  the  Wes- 
tern States. 

Mr.  Howard  was  born  in  Monroe,  Ashtabula 
county,  Ohio,  March  3,  1848,  and  his  descent 
runs  directly  through  the  following  line  of  an- 
cestors: Thomas  Howard,  who  emigrated 
from  Aylesford  or  Maidstone,  County  Kent. 
England,   and   settled  at   Ipswich,   Massachu- 


setts, in  1634;  William  Howard,  who  lived 
at  Ipswich;  Samuel  Howard,  who  lived  at 
Ipswich  and  occupied  the  old  homestead, 
among  whose  effects  was  a  large,  well  bound 
bible,  which  had  been  purchased  in  1742,  and 
was  finally  lost  in  the  Pension  Office  at  Wash- 
ington, D.  C. ;  Stephen  Howard,  who  lived  and 
died  at  Hampton,  Connecticut ;  Jeremiah  FIow- 
ard,  who  mo\'ed  from  Hampton  county, 
Connecticut,  to  Langdon,  Sullivan  county. 
New  Hampshire,  near  the  line  of  Alstead, 
Cheshire  county;  Jeremiah  Howard,  Jr.,  who 
followed  the  occupation  of  farming  and  re- 
mained in  Alstead,  New  Hampshire,  after  his 
marriage,  until  18 14,  when  he  removed  to 
Pittsford,  Rutland  county,  Vermont,  residing 
there  until  1834,  then  removing  to  Sardinia, 
Erie  county,  New  York,  and  in  the  spring  of 
1835  settling  in  Monroe,  Ashtabula  county, 
Ohio;  and  Jeremiah  Howard,  the  third  in  the 
family  bearing  that  name,  who  was  the  father 
of  J.  E.,  and  who  lived  in  Monroe,  Ashtabula 
county,  Oliio,  until  1878,  and  then  moved  to  a 
farm  near  Ashtabula,  where  he  died  April  26, 
1879. 

J.  E.,  the  gentleman  whose  name  heads  this 
biographical  record,  was  married  at  the  age 
of  twenty  and  a  half  years,  to  Ellen  Hicks. 
They  resided  in  Ohio  until  August,  1874,  when 
they  moved  to  Burrton,  Harvey  county,  Kansas, 
there  being  two  children  then  in  the  family. 
Mr.  Howard  built  one  of  the  first  homes  in 
the  town  and  lived  there  until  the  spring  of 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


413 


1875,  when  he  located  upon  his  farm,  which 
he  cnltivated  for  a  period  of  four  years.  In 
addition  to  his  labors  on  the  farm,  he  studied 
law  under  tlie  direction  of  Hon.  J.  \V.  Ady, 
of  Newton,  Kansas.  He  was  examined  hefore 
the  district  court  and  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
187S  or  1879,  while  still  on  the  farm.  Soon 
afterward  he  removed  to  the  town  of  Burrton, 
and  was  then  appointed  land  agent  for  the 
Santa  Fe  road,  in  connection  with  W.  A.  Daily, 
of  Mount  Hope,  Ivansas.  In  1880,  he  and 
Mr.  Daily  purchased  of  the  original  owner, 
George  A.  Vanderness,  the  bank  at  Burrton, 
assuming  immediate  control.  He  served  in  a 
most  capable  manner  as  cashier  and  manager 
until  June,  1890,  when  he  resigned  in  favor 
of  President  W.  O.  Van  Arsdale,  his  son,  C.  R. 
Howard,  serving  as  acting  cashier.  The  bank- 
was  shortly  reorganizetl,  and  was  operated 
under  another  management.  In  the  meantime 
Mr.  Howard  had  erected  a  fine  residence  in 
Burrton,  which  had  grown  to  be  a  town  of  800 
inhabitants,  and  upon  going  to  Wichita,  in 
June,  1890,  he  left  his  family  there.  He  trav- 
eled for  the  stock  yards  company  for  six 
months,  and  became  interested  in  the  freight- 
rate  situation.  He  was  appointed  receiver  of 
the  Newton  National  Bank,  and  after  a  period 
of  seven  months  spent  in  reorganizing 
it,  and  securing  a  large  amount  of  paid 
in  capital,  business  operations  were  re- 
newed. Upon  his  return  to  Wichita,  he 
had  his  family  removed  to  that  city,  in 
1 89 1.     He    was    instrumental  in    the  forma- 


tion of  the  freight  rate  association,  sup- 
ported Ijy  the  wholes.'de  interests  of  Wichita, 
and  assisted  Hon.  J.  \X.  Ady,  United 
States  district  attorney  for  Kansas,  in  inisli- 
ing  the  Trans-Missouri  Freight  Association 
case  to  the  supreme  court  of  the  United 
State.  It  was  a  celebrated  case  and  thous- 
ands of  copies  of  the  decision  were  printed 
and  distributed  over  the  country  by  United 
States  senators.  Mr.  Howard  subsequently 
went  to  Oklahoma,  where  he  built  a  flour 
mill,  but  a  year  later  sold  his  interest  there 
to  good  advantage.  He  again  returned 
to  Wichita,  where  his  family  resided,  and 
erected  the  jilant  known  as  the  Union  Mills, 
in  partnership  with  George  M.  Randall.  He 
is  president  and  his  son,  C.  R.  Howard,  is 
secretary.  Mr.  Howard  was  elected  on  the 
Fusion  ticket,  to  the  office  of  county  commis- 
sioner, in  1897,  by  the  business  element  of 
Wichita  district,  although  the  district  is  strong- 
ly Republican,  thus  showing  the  people's  ap- 
preciation of  his  high  qualities.  He  has  since 
held  that  office,  and  for  the  past  year  has  been 
chairman  of  the  board.  He  has  refused  the 
nomination  for  another  term.  He  was  also 
])ostmaster  of  Burrton  for  f(_nn-  years.  He  is 
ever  identified  with  the  best  interests  of  the 
city,  and  was  on  the  executive  committee  dur- 
ing the  street  fairs  in  1899-1900.  He  is  active- 
ly interested  in  state  and  county  politics,  and 
is  a  frequent  delegate  to  conventions. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Howard  are  parents  of  three 
children :  C.  R.,  who  was  born  in  Ohio,  and  is 


414 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


connected  with  tlie  Union  Mills;  Fannie  A., 
wlio  was  horn  in  ( )lii(),  and  now  owns  and  nian- 
ajjes  a  first  class  drnjT  store  in  W'icliifi :  and 
I'lorcnce,  wlm  was  horn  in  Ohio  twenty-tun 
years  ago,  while  her  parents  were  there  on  a 
visit,  she  is  at  hnnic.  and  jjnrsues  the  stndy 
(if  nnisic.  Mr.  Howard  has  a  fine  hnnie  i>n 
Waco  avenne,  located  nc;ir  the  mill  fur  con- 
venience. He  is  a  mcniher  of  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America ;  and  of  the  Ancient 
Order  of  United  Workmen,  of  Wichita. 


■ILLIAM  S.  CREASSER,  whose 
death  occnrred  Octoher  14,  1890,  was 
one  of  the  leailing  agricnlturists  of 
Sedgwick  connty,  Kansas.  He  was  a  man  of 
thrifty  and  industrions  hahits,  and  of  the  high- 
est integrity  of  character,  and  in  his  demise  the 
community  lost  one  of  its  best  members.  He 
owned  273  acres  in  section  36,  township  25, 
range  2,  west.  Mr.  Creasser  was  born  in  In- 
dianapolis, Indiana,  August  19,  1852,  and  was 
a  son  of  William  and  Mary  Ann  S.  (Thorn- 
ton), Creasser,  both  natives  of  Yorkshire,  Eng- 
land. 

William  Creasser  followed  the  trade  of  a 
butcher,  while  in  England,  and  after  com- 
ing to  this  country  .settled  in  Indianapolis, 
Indiana,  where  he  ])ursucd  the  .same  oc- 
cupation for  several  years.  He  then  sold 
out  his  business  and  moved  to  Illinois, 
where  he  purchased  a  farm  and  devoted 
the  remainder  of  his  life  to  agricultural  pur- 


suits. He  also  raised  fancy  cattle  and  horses, 
and  had  a  well  stocked  farm.  He  and  his  wife 
were  jiarents  of  four  children:  William  S. ; 
.\nna  Iv  ;  Richard  'P.;  and  one  who  died  in 
infancy.  Religiously,  the  family  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Church  of  England.  William 
Creasser  died  in  1868.  His  widow  is  still 
living  at  the  advanced  age  of  seventy-nine 
years,  and  enjoying  the  best  of  health. 

William  S.  Creasser  was  mentally  trained  in 
the  public  schools  of  Indianapolis  and  at  college 
in  Carlinville,  Illinois.  .Xt  the  age  of  twenty 
years,  he  started  out  on  his  own  account  by 
renting  a  farm  in  Illinois,  upon  which  he  re- 
mained for  four  years.  He  then  moved  to 
Sedgwick  county.  Kansas,  and  settled  on  his 
present  farm,  which  was  a  tract  of  school  land. 
He  at  once  set  to  work  to  get  in  a  corn  crop, 
after  which  he  built  a  small  house,  which  has 
since  been  replaced  l)y  a  large  and  comfortable 
home.  He  was  industrions  and  a  good  man- 
ager, and  met  with  the  best  of  success  from 
the  outset,  becoming  one  of  the  foremost  citi- 
zens of  his  locality. 

Mr.  Creasser  was  united  in  marriage,  in 
1872,  with  Lena  L.  Loper,  a  native  of  Illinois, 
and  a  daughter  of  Adrian  and  Susan  (Keller) 
Loper,  who  were  natives,  respectively,  of  New 
Jersey  and  Indiana.  Nine  children  blessed 
this  union:  I.etty,  who  m;u'i'ied  J.  L.  Rosen- 
berger,  of  Sedgwick  county,  Kansas,  and  has 
two  children;  William  II.  and  Edward;  Mabel 
who  married  J.  .\.  Wilson,  of  Sedgwick  coun- 
ty, and  has  four  children,  Truman  R.,  Floyd 


RT.  RK\-.  JOHN  JOSEPH  HENNESSY. 


SEUGWICK  COUNTY 


417 


E.,  Andrew  J.,  and  Flazel  O. ;  William  R.,  who 
married  Dora  Ramsey,  of  Greenwood  county, 
Kansas,  liy  whom  he  has  a  daughter,  Leota 
L. ;  Clara  E. ;  T.  Edward;  Roliert  \\'.,  de- 
ceased; Mark  K. ;  Howard  T. ;  and  an  infant, 
deceased.  In  religious  belief,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  a  Congregationalist,  and  his 
widow  is  a  member  of  the  Universalist  church. 


-TjTI^IGHT  REVEREND  JOHN  JOSEPH 
I  >^  HENNESSY,  D.  D.,  bishop  of  Wich- 
V«,i^  ita,  a  portrait  of  whom  is  presented 
herewith  on  the  foregoing  page,  has  made  won- 
derful progress  in  building  up  the  churches, 
schools,  societies,  etc.,  under  his  charge,  since 
locating  in  Wichita,  Kansas.  He  was  born 
near  Cloyne,  County  Cork,  Ireland,  July  19, 
1847.  '^"^^  came  with  his  parents,  when  a  child, 
to  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  where  he  grew  to  man- 
hood, graduating  from  the  Christian  Brothers' 
College  at  St.  Louis,  in  1862,  and  completing 
his  theological  course  at  the  Seminary  of  St. 
Francis  de  Sales,  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin,  and 
his  phil(isophicaI  course  at  Cape  Girardeau, 
Missouri. 

As  he  was  under  the  canonical  age,  he  was 
ordained,  in  1869,  by  Papal  dispensation  and 
did  missionary  work  in  the  ten  counties  of  the 
Iron  Mountain  district  of  Southern  Missouri, 
from  1869  to  1880.  During  this  period,  he 
Iniilt  churches  in  Poplar  Bluff,  Doniphan,  Gate- 
wood,  Granite\'ille,  Bismarck,  and  completed 
those  of  Iron  Mountain  and  Farmington.  He 
founded  the  Railroad  Men's  Benevolent  Union 


in  1871,  and  established,  in  1877,  the  Ursuline 
Convent  at  Arcadia,  Alissouri,  one  of  the  most 
successful  educational  institutions  in  that  state. 
He  was  elected  procurator  and  vice-president 
of  the  board  of  managers  of  the  Catholic  Pro- 
tectorate of  St.  Louis  in  1878,  which  responsi- 
ble position  he  held  for  eight  years.  He  was 
also  elected,  in  1882,  secretary  of  the  St.  Louis 
Or])han  Board,  treasurer  of  the  Diocesan 
Clergy  Fund,  and  spiritual  director  of  the  Up- 
per Council  of  the  St.  Vincent  de  Paul  Society, 
the  most  extensive  charitable  organization  in 
the  world.  All  these  positions  of  trust  antl 
responsibility  he  resigned  on  being  elevated  to 
the  honors  of  the  episcopacy.  For  seven  years 
he  was  the  editor  of  a  publication  called  the 
Youth's  Maga::inc.  From  1880  to  1888  he 
was  rector  of  St.  John's  Church  of  St.  Louis. 
The  bishopric  of  Wichita  having  been  made 
vacant  by  the  death  of  the  Right  Reverend 
James  O'Keilly,  whose  death  occurred  July  26, 
1887,  before  consecration  in  his  sacred  office, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  appointed  to  the 
position,  and  was  consecrated  on  November 
30,  1888,  in  St.  John's  Church,  St.  Louis,  by 
the  Most  Re\'eren(l  Peter  Richard  Kenrick,  of 
St.  Louis,  Missouri.  Since  his  assuming  its 
charge,  the  diocese  of  Wichita  has  been  en- 
larged, and  is  now  bounded  on  the  east,  south 
and  west  by  the  state  line  of  Kansas,  and  on 
the  north  by  the  counties  of  Bourbon,  Allen, 
Woodson,  Greenwood,  Morris,  ]\Iarion,  Mc- 
Pherson,  Rice,  Barton,  Rush,  Ness,  Lane, 
Scott,  Wichita,  and  Greeley,  covering  an  area 
of  42,915  square  miles,  and  embracing  51 
priests,    10  religious  orders,    loi    churches,   5 


418 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


chapels,  2  orphan  asyhims,  2  academies,  2  hos- 
pitals, 27  parochial  schools,  13  students  pre- 
paring for  the  priesthood  and  22,000  members 
of  the  church. 

Prior  to  Bishop  Hcnncssy's  assuming  charge 
at  Wichita,  a  building  had  been  started  to  serve 
as  an  academy  for  young  men,  but,  the  project 
having  been  abandoned,  the  building  was  com- 
l)leted  by  the  bishop  for  his  residence.  The 
rooms  are  beautified  with  choice  paintings  and 
tasteful  furnishings,  and  include  a  large  library 
and  private  chapel.  Surrounding  the  building 
are  beautiful  grounds  some  five  acres  in  extent, 
which  have  been  artistically  laid  out  and  made 
into  one  of  the  most  attractive  places  in  the 
city.  The  building  is  a  brick  structure,  four 
stories  in  height,  and  well  designed. 

Recently  Bishop  Hennessy  purchased  a 
large  stone  building,  erected  originall}'  for  a 
match  factory,  but  never  used  for  that  purpose. 
The  building  will  be  removed,  and  the  material 
contained  in  the  structure  will  be  used  in  build- 
ing a  new  church  that  is  to  be  erected  at  St. 
Mark,  about  14  miles  distant  in  Union  town- 
ship. In  1889  he  also  purchased  what  was 
known  as  the  Wichita  University  building,  an 
elegant  structure,  located  on  the  east  side  of 
Wichita,  on  College  Hill,  which  is  now  used 
as  the  mother  house  of  tlie  Sisters  of  St.  Jo- 
seph and,  temporarily,  as  an  asylum  for  female 
orphans.  This,  like  the  other  property  that 
has  come  into  the  hands  of  the  Catholic  church, 
during  Bishop  Hennessy's  administration,  has 
been  beautifully  fitted  up.  and  is  well  suited  to 
the  purpose  to  which  it  is  devoted.  The  St. 
Francis  Hospital  has  been  twice  enlarged  to 


accommodate  the  demand  made  upon  it  for 
room  for  patients,  and  has  a  most  enviable  rep- 
utation for  care  and  attention.  The  Sisters  of 
the  Sorrowful  Mdther  in  charge  were  intro- 
duced into  Wichita  by  the  Bishop,  who  brought 
them  from  Europe  in  1889.  The  All  Hallows 
Academy  for  young  ladies  has  had  the  special 
attention  of  Bishop  Hennessy  and  has  been  so 
successful  that  additional  buildings  costing 
over  $30,000  are  now  in  course  of  construction. 
Recently  the  clergy  of  the  diocese  of  Wichita 
presented  Bishop  Hennessy  with  a  palatial  resi- 
dence, located  on  College  Hill  and  overlooking 
the  city. 


TTO  G.  ECKSTEIN,  a  gentleman  of 
])rominence  in  county  and  state  poli- 
tics, is  one  of  the  most  successful 
lawyers  of  Sedgwick  county,  Kansas  ,  being 
located  in  the  city  of  Wichita.  He  was  born 
in  Hanover,  Germany,  May  12.  1864.  and  is  a 
son  of  Otto  Eckstein. 

Otto  Eckstein  came  to  America  with  his 
family  in  1869,  and  settled  in  Washington, 
D.  C,  where  he  held  a  government  position 
up  to  the  time  of  his  death  in  1878.  Otto  G. 
Eckstein  was  but  fourteen  years  of  age  when 
his  father  died,  and  was  from  that  time 
dependent  upon  his  own  resources.  He  ob- 
tained a  good  common  school  education  and 
being  possessed  of  more  than  ordinary  ability, 
was  given  a  position  by  Hon.  Carl  Schurz, 
then  Secretary  of  the  Interior.  He  subse- 
quently accepted  a  position  as  first  class  clerk 
in  the  pension  bureau,  being  at  that  time  the 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


419 


youngest  person  to  hold  such  a  clerkship  in 
the  employ  of  the  government.  He  resignctl 
his  position  in  1887.  He  was  graduated  with 
first  honors  from  the  Columbia  University 
Law  School,  of  Washington,  in  1886,  and  in 
1887  was  graduated  from  the  law  department 
of  Georgetown  University.  While  in  the  pen- 
sion bureau  at  Washington,  he  espoused  the 
cause  of  the  old  soldiers  in  a  well 
written  book,  published  by  Johnson  Bros., 
of  Philadelphia.  He  supported  the  theory 
that  a  pension  is  an  obligation  under 
a  contract,  and  not  a  gratuity,  as  is 
held  by  high  authorities  and  by  courts.  Mr. 
Eckstein  moved  west,  to  the  city  of  Wichita, 
Kansas,  where  he  became  very  acti\'e  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession.  He  was  appointed 
treasurer  of  Wichita,  serving  during  1891  and 
1892,  and  was  also  treasurer  of  the  board  of 
education.  Politically,  he  is  a  Republican  of 
the  most  loyal  type,  and  was  elected  to  repre- 
sent his  district  in  the  Kansas  legislature,  in 
1895.  That  he  served  his  constituents  faith- 
fully and  well  is  evidenced  by  the  remark  of 
a  prominent  newspaper  man,  that  Sedgwick 
county  never  had  an  abler  representative  and 
that  he  was  entitled  to  anything  in  the  gift 
of  the  people  of  the  county.  He  made  a  gal- 
land  fight  for  the  location  of  a  state  normal 
school  at  Wichita,  and  came  within  a  few- 
votes  of  securing  it.  He  was  an  earnest  advo- 
cate of  a  constitutional  convention,  and  was 
the  author  and  successful  advocate  of  what  is 
known  as  the  "Eckstein  Bribery  Law,"  aimed 
against  corrupt  jniljlic  oflicials  and  legislators. 
As  a  lawyer  he  has  gained  the  reputation  of 


being  one  of  the  greatest  criminal  lawyers  of 
the  county. 

Mr.  Eckstein  takes  an  active  interest  in  fra- 
ternal organizations  and  belongs  to  the  fol- 
lowing orders:  A.  F.  &  A.  M. ;  Knights  of 
Pythias;  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men;  Sons 
of  Herman;  Royal  Arcanum;  and  \^'oodmen 
of  the  World.  In  religious  altacliments,  be 
is  a  Lutheran. 


M 


ANIEL  HARMON  is  one  of  the 
substantial  farmers  residing  in 
Sedgwick  county,  Kansas,  where  he 
is  the  owner  of  240  acres  of  excellent  farming 
land.  He  was  born  in  Fleming  county,  Ken- 
tucky, in  November,  1844,  and  is  a  son  of 
James  and  Sadie  (Lydle)  Harmon,  both  of 
whom  were  also  natives  of  that  county. 
James  Harmon  was  a  farmer  throughout  his 
entire  life,  and  died  in  his  native  county,  in 
1890;  his  wife  followed  him  in  1895.  They 
were  the  parents  of  four  children  who  were 
named  as  follows:  William,  deceased,  who 
was  a  farmer;  Elbert,  who  is  a  cattle  dealer 
in  New  Mexico;  Stockwell,  also  a  farmer;  and 
Daniel,  who  is  the  youngest  son. 

Daniel  Harmon  received  a  good  common 
school  education  and  remained  at  home  dur- 
ing his  early  life,  assisting  his  father  in  operat- 
ing the  farm.  After  his  marriage  in  1865,  he 
managed  the  old  homestead  until  he  came 
west,  to  Kansas,  where  he  settled  in  Sedgwick 
county.  During  the  first  fi\e  years  he  was  a 
farmer  in  Waco  township,  but  in  1893.  he 
located   seven  miles  north  of   Wichita,   where 


420 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


he  lived  two  years.  In  1895  ''<^  purchased  the 
York  farm,  of  240  acres,  consisting  of  the 
west  half  of  the  west  half  of  section  15,  and 
the  east  half  of  the  northeast  quarter  of 
section  16.  He  has  a  good  farm  and  raises 
considerable  wheat,  corn,  oats,  hogs  and 
cattle.  He  is  one  of  Sedgwick  county's  en- 
terprising and  progressive  farmers,  and  in  the 
county  where  he  has  been  a  resident  for  so 
many  years,  he  has  hosts  of  warm  friends. 

Mr.  Harmon  was  married  in  his  native 
county  to  Sylnira  Silbj-,  and  to  them  have  been 
born  tlie  following  children:  Charles;  Jared ; 
Stockwell ;  Leonard ;  James ;  Louise ;  Callie ; 
and  Leola.  Louise  is  the  wife  of  James 
Reiser,  of  Wichita,  and  has  two  children, 
Jessie  and  Leola.  Callie  is  the  wife  of  Olin 
Menefee,  a  farmer  of  Waco  township,  Sedg- 
wick county,  and  has  three  children,  Ethel, 
Sylnira,  and  Elsie.  Leola  is  the  wife  of 
Otis  Ruckle,  a  pro.sperous  farmer,  of  Payne 
township,  Sedgwick  county,  and  they  have 
one  child, — Hazel.  Although  Mr.  Harmon  is  a 
strong  Democrat,  in  politics,  he  is,  neverthe- 
less, not  active  in  political  affairs. 


OLOXEL  JAMES  L.  DYER  is  one  of 
jr'  the  oldest  and  most  prominent  barris- 
ters of  Sedgwick  county,  Kansas, 
and  has  been  located  in  the  city  of  \\'ichita  for 
the  past  twenty-eight  years.  He  has  witnessed 
its  growth  from  a  town  of  not  more  than  1,000 
inhabitants  to  a  thriving  city  of  extensive  busi- 
ness transactions. 


Colonel  Dyer  was  born  in  TLMinessce,  and  is 
a  son  of  Thomas  and  Sarah  (Hammers)  Dyer, 
his  father  having  been  a  Baptist  minister,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  His  mother 
was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania.  Three,  only, 
of  the  nine  children  of  the  family  are  mnv  liv- 
ing: Caroline  (Hammers),  of  Tennessee; 
Joel,  a  merchant  of  Cowley  county,  Kansas;, 
and  James  L.,  the  subject  of  this  personal  his- 
tory. 

James  L.  Dyer  remained  at  home  until  he 
reached  the  age  of  twenty  years,  and  obtained 
his  primary  education  in  Mossy  Creek  Baptist 
College  in  Tennessee.  He  then  went  to  Jack- 
sonville, Illinois,  where  he  read  law  with  the 
firm  of  Morris  &  Epler,  and  afterward  alone, 
for  three  or  four  years.  In  the  meantime  he 
attended  the  law  school  in  Chicago,  and  upon 
being  examined  before  the  court  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  of  Illinois,  in  1864.  He  did  not  prac- 
tice in  that  state,  but  soon  after  moved  west  to 
Humboldt,  Humboldt  county,  Kansas,  where 
he  was  engaged  in  general  practice  until  April 
I,  1872.  Having  visited  Wichita  during  the 
preceding  February  and  having  been  much 
pleased  with  the  locality  he  moved  there  in 
April.  Wichita  had  a  population  of  about 
1,000,  and  Main  street  was  lined  with  old 
wooden  buildings;  the  building  where  the  Bos- 
tou  Store  is  was  then  in  an  early  stage  of  con- 
struction. Col.  Dyer  first  established  his  of- 
fice on  the  ground  floor  of  a  building  ownctl 
by  W.  C.  W'oodman,  where  the  dry  goods  store 
of  Chapman  &  Walker  is  now  located.  There 
were  then  about  15  or  20  attorneys  in  town, 
and  it  was  a  struggle  as  to  who  would  get  the 


^fE'VVORK 
PUBLIC  LIBRARVl 

Foundations. 


REV.  BRUCE  GRIFFITH. 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


423 


business.  Tlie  Colonel  met  with  good  success 
and  remained  at  his  first  location  for  some 
time,  but  afterward  moved  two  doors  north, 
and  there  continued  until  1876.  From  1872 
to  January,  1876,  he  was  in  partnership  with 
Judge  Sluss,  but  owing  to  ill  health  he  aban- 
doned his  practice  for  the  time  being,  and  en- 
tered the  United  States  land  office,  where  for 
nine  years  he  received  the  pulilic  moneys.  In 
1885,  he  resumed  the  practice  of  law,  forming 
a  partnership  with  W.  P.  Campbell,  with  of- 
fice at  119  Douglas  avenue.  They  continued  to- 
gether until  October,  1898,  since  which  time 
Col.  Dyer  has  been  associated  with  Attorney 
J.  D.  Davis,  at  No.  209  Main  street.  The 
Colonel  was  city  attorney  for  two  years  during 
Mr.  Allen's  term  as  mayor,  and  he  has  always 
taken  an  active  interest  in  state  and  county  pol- 
itics, being  a  strong  Republican.  His  first  vote 
was  cast  for  Lincoln  in  1864.  He  has  built 
four  hiimes  in  \\'icliita  and  has  alwavs  li\-ed 
in  the  Fourth  Ward,  which  he  represented  in 
the  city  council  five  years. 

Mr.  Dyer  was  first  imited  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Boston,  who  dietl  in  1883.  The  union  re- 
sulted in  four  children;  Arthur,  a  druggist  in 
W'infield,  Ivansas ;  James  \\'.,  who  is  identified 
with  the  Griffith  Bnikerage  Comjiany,  of  Ok- 
lahoma City;  Lucius,  who  is  clerk  in  a  general 
Lidian  store  at  Fort  Sill ;  and  Laverne,  who  is 
engaged  in  the  wholesale  grocery  business  at 
Oklahoma  City.  Mr.  Dyer  formed  a  second 
marital  union,  wedding  Hattie  F.  Hill,  of  Du- 
luth,  Minnesota,  a  nati\'e  of  Xew  York.  Fra- 
ternally, Col.  D}'er  is  a  Knight  Templar,  and  a 
Mason,  having  taken  the  Yiirk  Ixite.     He  was 


a  director  of  the  Kansas  National  Bank,  from 
J  878  to  1894,  and  served  as  vice-president  for 
a  lime.  He  enlisted  in  the  68(11  Reg.,  III.  Vol. 
Inf.  during  the  Civil  War,  and  is  now  a  mem- 
ber of  the  \\'ichita  ])ost  nf  the  (irand  Army  of 
the  Kepublic. 


^jFVEREND  BRUCE  GRIFFITH,  the 

popular  pastor  of  the  Brown  Memorial 
Reformed  church  of  Wichita,  and  a 
clergyman  of  exceptional  ability  and  elocjuence, 
whose  portrait  is  shown  herewith,  was  born 
at  Pavia,  Bedford  count)',  Penn.s_\-l\-ania,  on 
October  29,  1867,  and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  H. 
Griffith,  a  large  lumberman  of  that  place. 
Among  the  mountains  of  his  native  state,  our 
subject  was  reared,  receiving  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  of  his  district,  after 
which  he  entered  b'ranklin  and  Marshall  Col- 
lege at  Lancaster,  Pennsylwania.  in  1886,  grad- 
uating in  1890.  lie  then  entered  the  theologi- 
cal seminary  (if  the  Reformed  church  at  Lan- 
caster, graduating  in  1893. 

During  his  college  course,  ]\lr.  (iriffith  took 
an  acti\e  part  in  all  undergraduate  matters,  Ijut 
especially  in  athletics,  receiving  the  medal  for 
shot  ])Utting  and  was  champion  for  the  "\-ar- 
sity"  in  1891,  1892  and  1893.  He  played  foot- 
ball four  years  and  for  two  years  was  captain 
of  the  football  team.  He  also  sang  for  four 
years  in  the  college  glee  club  in  its  annual 
tours  through  the  Middle  States.  Although 
he  took  an  interest  in  such  matters,  Mr.  Grif- 
fith did  not  neglect  his  studies,  but  took  his 
degrees  of  A.  B.  and  A.  M.  in  course,  and  al.so 


424 


BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD 


a  degree  in  post-graduate  work  at  the  theo- 
logical seminary.  June  ii,  1888,  he  received 
the  Sophomore  medal  for  microscopical  work 
in  histology.  He  was  an  active  member  of  the 
Chi  riii  fraternity.  During  his  senior  year, 
in  i8yo,  he  took  the  literary  society  medal  in 
the  annual  poetical  contest,  and  has  always  en- 
couraged work  tending  toward  mental  as  well 
as  physical  development. 

During  vacations  and  after  finishing  his  the- 
ological course,  he  did  charity  work  for  the 
New  York  Tribune  Fresh  Air  Fund.  He  was 
licensed  by  the  Juniata  classis,  Potomac  synod 
of  the  Reformed  church,  at  Altoona,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  sent  to  Wichita,  Kansas,  where 
he  preached  his  trial  sermon  on  October  i, 
1893,  and  was  ordained  and  installed  pastor  of 
Brown  Memorial  Reformed  church  on  Novem- 
ber 12,  of  the  same  year. 

The  history  of  this  church  is  very  interest- 
ing. It  was  organized  on  November  30,  1884, 
by  Rev.  Isaac  G.  Brown,  of  jMercersburg, 
Pennsylvania,  who  came  to  Sedgwick  county 
in  the  spring  of  1883,  and  on  j\Iarch  23,  1883, 
held  services  in  the  old  Ejjiscopal  chapel,  but 
later  used  the  county  court  room.  The  little 
mission  grew,  and  on  November  30,  1884.  the 
church  was  organized  with  _'4  meniliers,  by 
Rev.  Mr.  Brown.  He  died  on  May  7,  the  fol- 
lowing year,  but  his  widow,  who  still  resides 
at  Wichita,  has  done  much  to  further  the  cause, 
and  was  instrumental  in  keeping  the  Sunday 
school  together,  until  Octolier  i,  1885,  when 
Rev.  D.  B.  Shuey  began  supplying  the  congre- 
gation, and  a  year  later  the  Rev.  J.  W.  Love, 
of   Greensburg,    Pennsylvania,   was   appointed 


regidar  pastor,  being  succeeded  by  our  subject. 
During  this  time  the  congregation  had  out- 
grown the  small  accommodations,  and  a  stately 
edifice  of  brick  and  stone,  two  stories  in  height, 
has  been  erected,  at  a  cost  of  $10,000,  all  paid 
for  but  $1,500.  The  basement  is  finished  ofif 
into  three  rooms,  where  the  Sunday  school  and 
societies  meet  anil  where  various  entertain- 
ments are  held,  and  it  is  all  thoroughly 
equipped  with  all  modern  appliances,  electric 
lights,  etc. 

When  the  Rev.  Air.  Grififith  took  charge  of 
the  church,  the  membership  numbered  100 
members,  l)ut  there  are  now  120  members,  and 
he  has  a  well  trained  choir  of  35  voices.  He 
has  bis  church  societies  well  organized,  there 
being  the  Young  People's  Society  of  Christian 
Endeavor,  Ladies'  Aid  Society,  Regular  and 
Home  Department,  Sunday  School  and  Mis- 
sionary Society.  During  the  recent  months  the 
choir  ])ut  a  new  pipe  organ  in  the  church,  which 
is  one  of  the  best  instruments  in  tlie  southern 
part  of  the  state. 

After  coming  to  Wichita,  Mr.  Griftith  was 
married  to  Lola  D.  Paris,  of  this  city,  and  two 
children  have  been  born  to  tliem :  Gladys 
Katheryn  and  Joseiih  Irvine.  In  1899,  Mr. 
Griftith  purchased  a  lot  on  which  he  erected  his 
present  cottage,  doing  almost  all  of  the  work 
himself,  as  a  diversion,  for  he  is  very  handy 
with  tools;  and  in  it  he  and  his  charming  wife 
dispense  the  hospitality  of  the  parsonage.  Fra- 
ternally, he  is  a  member  of  the  .\.  F.  &  A.  M., 
Albert  Pike  Lodge,  No.  303 :  Knights  of  the 
Maccabees:  and  A.  O.  L'.  W. 

Agreeable,   eloquent,   possessing  in   marked 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


425 


degree  the  faculty  of  drawing-  people  into  the 
church,  Mr.  Griffitli  is  doing  a  nohle  work  and 
daily  endearing  himself  to  his  congregation  to 
wlunn  he  seems  the  emhodimcnt  of  all  that  is 
best  and  purest  in  human  nature.    ■ 

In  the  JVicliita  Daily  Eagle  of  November  27, 
1900,  appeared  an  article  from  the  pen  of  Vic- 
tor Murdock,  devoted  to  the  Brown  Memorial 
Reformed  church  and  its  talented  pastor,  be- 
ing one  of  a  series  written  by  him  on  the 
churches  and  nu'nisters  of  \\'ichita.  As  the 
characterization  is  excellent,  we  herewith  quote 
at  length : 

"At  the  Reformed  church  Sunday  morning, 
the  text  of  Rev.  Bruce  Griffith's  sermon  was : 
Hebrews  4:15,  'For  We  Have  Not  a  High 
Priest  ^^'hich  Cannot  be  Touched  With  the 
Feelings  of  Our  Infirmities ;  but  Was  in  All 
Points  Tempted  Like  as  We  Are,  Yet  Without 
Sin.'  'To  change  the  two  negatives  into  a  sin- 
gie  positive  afifirmitive,'  explained  the  minister, 
'we  have  a  high  priest  wdio  can  be  touched  with 
the  feeling  of  our  infirmities.'  The  sermon  was 
about  the  sympathies  of  Christ.  It  was  a  sub- 
ject old,  given  a  certain  new  brightness  because 
of  the  young  man  who  handled  it,  because  he 
is  of  that  very  fine  fibre  which  sets  no  limit  to 
sympathetic  capacity. 

"For  it  is  one  of  the  good  things  of  this 
town,  to  see  in  what  warmth  of  brotherly  es- 
teem this  community  holds  Rev.  Bruce  Griffith. 
It  is  one  of  the  highest  compliments  bestowed 
upon  him  in  his  years  of  good  work  here,  that 
he  is  more  freciuently  spoken  of  without  his 
pi'iestly  designation,  and  has  gained  that  pro- 
found public  friendslu'i),  the  chief  earnest  of  the 


existence  of  which  is  an  habitual,  cordial,  un- 
thinking use,  in  address  of  a  man's  first  and 
Christian  name.  There  is  not  a  vnung  man  in 
the  city  who  knows  Ihaice  (iriililli,  and  most 
(d"  them  do,  who  docs  not  hol<l  liini  :\  friend, 
always  a  possible  confidant,  because  of  his  own 
.sympathetic  comprehension  of  all  the  technical 
points  in  happiness,  and  his  kindly  charity  in 
helping  unravel  a  spiriturd  tangle  or  assuaging 
a  moral  hurt.  He  is  one  who  knows  and  un- 
derstands and  finds  joy  in  the  heady  enthusi- 
asm, the  mental  and  physical  buoyancies  in 
youth  which  usually  put  middle  age  out  of 
patience.  And  those  who  are  newspaper  work- 
ers can  ofi'er  as  testimony,  of  his  charity  and 
assistance  to  the  aged  or  the  stricken,  the  mem- 
ory of  many  a  winter  day  or  rainy  night,  when 
this  good  man  was  met  on  a  Godly  mission. 

"So  Bruce  Grifiith  can  talk  of  sympathy,  and 
know  over  what  wide  reaches  the  vibratory 
grace  of  a  single  comprehensive  kindness  flies, 
to  set  quivering  the  harmonies  of  a  benign 
world.  The  congregation  is  to  be  congratu- 
lated on  its  pastor,  the  pastor  on  his  congrega- 
tion. The  choir  work  is  fine.  Yesterday 
morning,  Fritz  N.  Huttmann  sang  the  oft'er- 
tory  in  a  rich,  strong  voice,  which  as  it  rang 
forth  seemed  part  of  the  sermon,  the  musical 
conclusion  of  a  discourse  which  taught  that 
spiritual  harmony  which  lifts  humanity  nearest 
divinity." 


RVTLLE  HARVEY  COLVIN,  one  of 

the  prosperous  business  men  of  Wich- 
ita, is  a  stationary  engineer  and  also 


426 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


tlie  proprietor  of  one  of  tlie  finest  boarding 
houses  in  the  city,  at  Xo.  254  Topeka  street. 
He  was  born  in  Montreal,  Canada,  and  is  a 
son  of  Orviile  Colvin,  who  early  settled  in 
New  York  State,  near  Lake  George. 

Orviile  Colvin  was  a  graduate  of  West 
Point,  and  served  in  the  Mexican  \\ar,  and  in 
the  War  of  the  Rebellion  as  captain  of  a  com- 
pany recruited  by  him.  After  the  war  he  set- 
tled at  Sandusky,  Ohio,  where  he  died,  honor- 
ed and  beloved  by  all. 

As  soon  as  he  was  old  enough,  Orviile  Har- 
vey Colvin  resolved  to  try  his  fortune  in  the 
West,  and  first  located  at  Norwalk,  Ohio.  He 
had  previously  learned  the  trade  of  stationary 
engineer,  in  which  he  had  become  very  skilful. 
During  the  boom  of  1887,  Mr.  Colvin  came 
to  Wichita,  as  engineer  for  the  house  of  S  A. 
McLung  &  Co.,  shoe  manufacturers,  of  the 
west  side,  and  continued  with  them  during  the 
five  years  of  the  firm's  existence.  Since  then 
Mr.  Colvin  has  devoted  his  attention  to  special 
work  in  his  line  and  been  exceptionally  suc- 
cessful. His  boarding  house  is  a  large  one, 
elegantly  and  comfortably  furnished  and  con- 
veniently located,  and  the  cuisine  is  pro- 
nounced most  excellent  by  the  guests.  As  a 
result  of  the  first  class  service  afforded,  the 
house  is  well  patronized,  and  applicants  are  fre- 
quently turned  away  because  all  the  space  is 
taken. 

Mr.  Colvin  married  Ella  C.  Himmelright, 
of  Pennsylvania,  and  two  daughters  have 
blessed  their  union  as  follows :  Olive  Grace, 
and  Emma,  a  student.  Mr.  Colvin  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  United  Workmen's  Benevolent  As- 


sociation of  St.  Louis,  and  is  highly  respected 
by  a  large  circle  of  acquaintances.  He  is  pleas- 
ant in  manner,  winning  many  friends,  and  is 
well  known,  not  only  in  Wichita,  but  through- 
out the  county. 


S.  PIPKIX.  Residing  within  the 
boundary  of  Garden  Plain  township, 
'  Sedgwick  county,  Kansas,  on  the 
northeast  quarter  of  section  28,  township  2"], 
range  3,  west,  is  one  of  the  most  successful 
and  influential  farmers  in  the  state  of  Kansas. 
This  gentleman,  whose  name  appears  at  the 
head  of  these  lines,  enjoys  a  wide  acquaintance 
throughout  his  adopted  county,  and  has  the 
reputation  of  being  a  public  spirited  and  pro- 
gressive citizen,  who  is  ever  intent  on  the  wel- 
fare of  his  community.  As  a  neighbor,  and  in 
his  social  relations,  his  many  friends  recognize 
in  him  a  man  of  sterling  qualities.  He  was 
bom  in  Spring  Creek,  Madison  county,  Ten- 
nessee, March  30.  1831,  and  is  a  son  of  L.  C. 
Pipkin. 

L.  C.  Pipkin  was  born  in  North  Carolina, 
July  25.  1803;  his  parents  moved  to  Madison 
county,  Tennessee,  where  he  resided  until  1827. 
In  that  year  he  moved  to  Gibson  county. 
Tennessee,  where  he  lived  until  death  claimed 
him,  February  18,  1882.  He  was  a  farmer 
all  his  life.  He  was  married  in  1827, 
to  Elizabeth  Bowman,  who  was  born  in  Wil- 
son count}^  Tennessee,  January  17,  1809,  and 
now  lives  with  her  son,  in  Alva,  Oklahoma. 
Their  children  were  as  follows :    John ;  J.  S. ; 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


427 


and  L.  W.  John  was  formerly  a  farmer  but 
now  lives  at  the  Masonic  Home  in  Wichita, 
Kansas;  he  was  twice  married,  tirst,  to  Louisa 
Jane  Dockins,  who  died  in  July  1858.  and  sec- 
ond to  M;y:garet  Replogie,  who  died  in  April, 
1898.  L.  \V.  lives  in  Alva,  Oklahoma;  his 
first  wife,  Sarah  West,  died  in  1866,  and 
his  second  wife,  Nancy  Tooms,  died  April  17, 
1883. 

J.  S.  Pipkin  obtained  a  good  schooling,  and 
during  early  youth  worked  on  his  father's 
farm.  After  his  marriage  ■  he  moved  to 
Gibson  county,  Tennessee,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  farming  for  twelve  years.  In 
1864,  he  mo\ed  to  Graves  county,  Ken- 
tucky, where  he  continued  in  the  same 
occupation  until  1876.  On  October  13 
of  that  year,  he  bought  his  present  farm 
in  Sedgwick  county,  Kansas,  which  was 
known  as  the  St.  Claire  place,  and  upon  which 
but  \'ery  slight  improvements  had  been  made. 
During  the  first  year,  he  put  in  wheat  and 
sod-corn  and  in  tlie  year  following,  be  and 
his  two  sons  went  to  Kingman  county,  and 
each  took  up  a  claim  of  160  acres.  J.  S.  Pip- 
kin remained  upon  his  claim  a  short  time, 
after  which  be  returned  to  bis  former  home 
in  Garden  Plain  township,  and  has  continued 
to  cultivate  that  farm  e\'er  since.  Being  a 
hard  worker,  he  soon  had  his  land  in  a  good 
state  of  productiveness,  and  his  crops  proved 
very  successful.  With  the  earnings  of  this 
property,  he  acquired  more  land,  purchasing, 
in  1893,  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  34, 
which  was  known  as  the  Coleman  place.  Of 
this  farm,  100  acres  had  been  broken  and  some 


other  improvements  had  been  made  upon  it ; 
the  greater  portion  of  its  improvements,  how- 
ever, were  effected  l)y  Mr.  I'ipkin.  In  August, 
1896,  be  bought  half  nf  the  Sdutbwest  cpiarter 
of  section  3,  .Vftim  tnwusbip,  known  as  the 
Samuel  Halderman  place.  Mr.  Pipkin  still 
owns  all  this  property  and  is  an  extensive 
grain  raiser,  although  the  breeding  of  hor.ses, 
cattle  and  hogs  occupies  much  of  bis  attention. 
He  is  an  excellent  judge  of  good  live  stock, 
and  his  exhibits  have  often  taken  prizes  at  the 
\arious  fairs  held  in  the  vicinity.  He  ranks 
among  the  representative  farmers  of  this  great 
agricultural  state. 

Mr.  Pipkin  was  married,  October  13,  1850, 
to  Susan  C.  Dockins,  a  daughter  of  Reuben 
ami  Rboda  (Hawkins)  Dockins.  Her  father 
was  born  in  North  Carolina,  April  5,  1792, 
and  died  May  26,  1884.  Her  mother  was 
born  in  Tennessee,  September  8,  1802,  and 
died  July  9,  1889.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dockins 
bad  fi\-e  children:  Sallie,  born  in  1822,  who  is 
the  wife  of  Hardy  Fowler,  a  minister,  at  Lit- 
tle Rock,  Arkansas ;  Louisa  Jane,  born  in 
1824  and  died  in  1858,  who  was  the 
wife  of  John  Pipkin,  brother  of  J.  S. ; 
Susan  C,  our  subject's  wife,  w-ho  w'as  born 
January  20,  1828;  Reuben  C,  born  Jan- 
uary 9,  1834,  who  is  deceased;  and  Roan, 
born  July  26,  1846,  who  is  the  wife  of  John 
Foster,  and  lives  in  Tennessee.  Mr.  and  ]\Irs. 
Pipkin  have  the  following  children :  Henry 
N. ;  J.  R. ;  Lavina;  and  Alice.  Henry  N., 
born  September  3,  1852,  who  is  a  fanner  in 
Kingman  county,  Kansas,  married  Willmath 
Gillam,    and    has  a  daughter,   Mary     Susan. 


428 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


J.  R..  horn  Jamiary  7,  1856,  also  engaged  in 
farming  in  Kingman  county,  Kruisas,  married 
Mollie  Dawson,  who  died  in  1897,  leaving  five 
cliildren, — Oscar,  Crawford,  Susan,  Samuel, 
and  Ernest  Everett.  T.nvina,  horn  Decemhcr 
31,  i860,  married  Theodore  W'vkoff,  a  farmer 
of  Garden  Plain  townslii]),  and  has  four 
children, — Nona,  Perry.  \'ida,  and  Lulu,  the 
wife  of  T.  P>rown,  of  the  same  township. 
Alice,  born  January  17,  1864.  is  the  wife  of 
Charles  Southwick,  of  the  Indian  Territory, 
and  has  seven  children:  Oliver;  Tlicodore; 
Dolly;  Mildred;  Hazel;  Ralph,  and  an  infant. 
Politically,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a 
stanch  Republican,  and  has  held  several  town- 
ship offices.  In  1864  he  became  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  joining  Lodge  Xo. 
302,  at  Mayfield,  Kentucky. 


^TEPHEN  W.  LIPP,  a  prosperous 
farmer  of  Sedgwick  county,  Kansas, 
owns  a  farm  of  80  acres  in  section  1 1, 
township  2^.  range  2,  west,  in  Eagle  township. 
He  was  born  in  Clinton  county,  Indiana,  No- 
vember 17,  1 84 1,  and  is  a  .son  of  Henry  and 
Rachel  (Pitman)  Lipp,  and  a  grandson  of 
Jacob  Lipp. 

Jacob  Lipp  was  a  native  of  Germany,  who 
came  to  America  at  the  time  of  the  Revolution- 
ary War,  settled  in  Virginia,  and  later  moved 
to  Ohio,  where  he  died.  He  was  a  baker  by 
trade,  but  never  followed  that  occupation  after 
leaving  his  fatherland.  He  owned  a  farm 
when  he  lived  in  Virginia,  but  left  the  South 


because  of  his  opposition  to  slaxery.  lie  and 
his  wife  were  parents  of  the  following  chil- 
dren; Catherine;  Henry;  Mary;  Rachel,  and 
Jacob. 

Henry  Lipp  was' born  in  \'irginia.  but  went 
to  Ohio  with  his  parents,  when  a  }oung  man, 
living  at  home.  He  afterward  purchased  land 
and  carried  on  farming  in  Indiana,  where  he 
remained  until  his  death,  in  1855.  His  first 
wife  was  Elizabeth  Surfice,  by  whom  he  had 
the  following  children,  namely;  Jacob;  John; 
Elizabeth;  Andrew;  Sarah;  Samuel,  and  one 
who  died  in  infancy.  His  second  marital  union 
was  with  Rachel  Pitman,  daughter  of  Calvin 
Pitman,  a  nati\'e  of  Ohio,  and  they  became  the 
parents  of  three  children  :  Stephen  \\'. ;  Lou- 
isa; and  Eli.  Religiously,  Henry  Lipp  was  a 
Presbyterian.  His  widow  died  in  1897,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-nine  years.  She  was  a  member 
of  the  United  Brethren  church. 

Stephen  W.  Lipp  was  mentally  trained  in 
the  common  schools  of  Indiana,  and  at  the  age 
of  twenty  years  left  the  paternal  roof  to  enlist 
in  the  LTnion  Army.  He  belonged  to  Com- 
pany K,  loth  Reg..  Ind.  \'oI.  Inf.,  and  served 
three  years  and  two  and  a  half  months.  He 
saw  considerable  active  service  and  was 
slightly  wounded  at  Perryville,  Kentucky,  but 
was  incapacitated  a  few  days  only.  He  was 
discharged  at  Goldsl)oro,  North  Carolina, 
March  29,  1865,  and  immediately  returned  to 
Indiana,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  a 
few  years.  He  then  learned  the  trade  of  a  car- 
penter, and  followed  it  for  eight  years.  In 
1 88 1,  he  came  to  Kansas,  where  he  purchased 
his  present  farm  in  Eagle  township,  Sedgwick 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


429 


county.  Until  recently,  he  followed  his  trade 
in  connection  with  farming,  but  now  devotes 
all  his  time  to  the  farm.  He  is  industrious  and 
upright  in  all  his  dealings,  and  enjoys  the  re- 
spect and  good  will  of  the  entire  community. 
December  14,  1871,  Mr.  Lipp  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Martha  Fitzgerald,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Abraham  Fitzgerald,  and  they  became 
the  parents  of  seven  children:  MautI ;  Sarah; 
Alanson ;  Homer;  Maggie;  Anna;  and  one 
who  died  in  infancy.  In  political  belief,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  Republican.  Religi- 
ously, he  is  a  member  of  the  United  Brethren 
church. 


M 


R.  D.  E.  DeROSS,  a  veteran  of  the 
l<^)  J  Civil  War,  is  a  practicing  physician 
of  Wichita,  Kansas,  where  he  has 
established  a  large  and  well  paying  business. 
He  was  born  at  Meadville,  Crawford  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  is  the  son  of  Alexander 
DeRoss. 

Alexander  DeRoss  was  also  a  physician,  and 
was  the  seventh  son  of  Lord  Henri  DeRoss, 
who  came  from  France  with  Admiral  DeGrass, 
whose  sister  he  luarricd,  and  served  in  the 
navy  during  the  Revolutionary  War.  Alex- 
ander was  the  father  of  seven  sons,  six  of 
whom,  including  the  subject  hereof,  were  in 
the  army  during  the  Civil  War.  They  were  as 
follows:  Henri,  a  farmer  now  living  in  Penn- 
sylvania; William,  a  tanner,  of  Jennings,  Lou- 
isiana, who  served  in  Company  E,  45th  Reg. 
Mo.  Vol.  Lif. ;  A.  H.,  who  died  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, April  30,   1900,  and  who  served  under 


General  Gary,  in  Company  E,  iiith  Reg.,  Pa. 
Vol.  Inf.;  Conrad,  now  a  farmer  near  Avery, 
Iowa,  who  was  in  Company  H,  150th  Reg., 
Pa.  Vol.  Inf.,  which  was  called  the  "Bucktail" 
regiment;  Jonathan  (;.,  who  also  served  in 
Company  H,  of  the  same  regiment,  was 
wounded  at  Gettysburg  and  Petersburg,  and 
was  killed  February  6,  1865,  at  Hatch's  Run; 
H.  C,  now  of  Akron,  Ohio,  engaged  as  a  fancy 
potter  in  one  of  the  largest  mills  in  the  United 
States,  first  served  in  the  Civil  War  in  the  3rd 
Pa.  Heavy  Artillery,  and  afterward  in  the 
i88th  Reg.,  Pa.  Vol.  Inf.;  and  Dr.  D.  E.,  who 
is  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Dr.  D.  E.  DeRoss  received  his  primary  edu- 
cation in  the  public  school  at  Meadville,  Penn- 
syhania,  and  then  attended  Meadville  Acad- 
emy, where  he  took  the  medical  course,  gradu- 
ating in  i860.  He  first  engaged  in  practice 
with  his  father,  and  on  March  16,  1861,  was 
sent  l>y  his  father  as  administrator  of  an  es- 
tate, in  search  of  a  man  named  Barnes,  whom 
he  finally  located  in  Missouri.  At  Holden, 
Missouri,  where  Mr.  Barnes  resided,  Dr.  De- 
Ross  took  charge  of  the  school,  teaching  from 
April  to  June  30,  1861.  Then  fearing  impress- 
ment into  the  Confederate  service,  he  left  the 
county  and  had  the  good  fortune  to  meet 
Union  soldiers.  He  had  been  second  lieutenant 
in  the  Home  Guards  of  Missouri,  and  enlisted 
in  the  5th  Missouri,  P.  E.  M.  M.,  and  re- 
enlisted  in  the  2nd  Mo.  Light  Artillery,  in 
which  he  served  as  physician  imtil  the  close  of 
the  war.  He  is  one  of  the  few  veterans  of  the 
2nd  Missouri  now  li\ing.  In  the  summer  of 
1865,  he  was  sent  with  a  commanfl  known  as 


430 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


tlic  I'mvilcr  River  expedition,  whose  mission 
was  to  survey  a  route  tlirough  the  Black  Hills 
to  the  junction  of  the  Yellowstone  and  Powder 
rivers.  They  encountered  many  hostile  In- 
dians, who  fired  poisoned  arrows,  and  the  com- 
mand suffered  a  se\ere  loss,  and  many  tlicd  of 
tiicir  wiiunds.  Dr.  DeRoss  has  12  scars  to 
show  where  wounds  were  sustained,  but  his 
prompt  use  of  caustic  saved  his  life.  The  ob- 
ject of  this  survey  was  to  open  the  country  for 
settlement  and  mining  purposes.  In  February, 
1866,  tiie  Doctor  returned  to  Meadville,  T'enn- 
sylvania,  where  he  practiced  medicine  until 
December  i,  1889,  and  then  came  west,  to 
Wichita,  Kansas  ,  on  account  of  his  health, 
which  was  impaired  by  tonsilitis.  He  prac- 
ticed both  as  an  Allopathist  and  Homeopathist, 
until  1875,  \vhen  he  took  an  Eclectic  course, 
was  graduated  in  1875.  and  since  then  has 
practiced  in  accordance  with  the  Eclectic  sys- 
tem. As  the  Kansas  climate  agreed  with  him, 
he  resumed  practice  in  March,  1890,  and  has 
met  with  pronounced  success.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  National  Eclectic  Medical  Association : 
Kansas  Eclectic  Medical  Association ;  and 
president  of  the  Pennsylvania  Eclectic  Medical 
Association. 

Dr.  DeRoss  was  married  at  Royalton.  Penn- 
sylvania, to  his  first  wife,  M.  M.  Royal,  now 
deceased.  They  had  a  son,  M.  Roy,  an  expert 
acciiuntant  of  Junction  City,  Kansas.  The 
Doctor  married  a  second  time,  Lorretta  A. 
Lamb,  of  Joliet,  Illinois,  becoming  his  wife, 
and  they  live  at  No.  704  St.  Francis  street, 
wliere  he  also  has  his  office.  The  subject  of 
this  sketch  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F. ;  the 


K.  of  P. ;  and  is  connnander  of  Eggleston 
Post,  No.  244,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Wichita.  The 
Doctor  is  also  a  Mason.  He  is  a  Republican 
in  politics,  and  cast  his  first  vote  for  Abraham 
Lincoln. 


HEODORE  KERR,  a  prominent 
and  early  settler  of  Sedgwick  county,  is 
the  owner  and  occupant  of  two  middle 
"eighties"  in  the  south  half  of  section  34,  town- 
shij)  29,  range  3,  west,  and  is  one  of  the  enter- 
prising and  progressive  farmers  of  the  com- 
munity. He  was  born  in  .Allegheny  county, 
Pennsylvania,  in  1841,  and  is  the  oldest  son  of 
Whlliam  and  Alargaret  (W'ilson)  Kerr,  who 
were  both  descendants  of  early  settlers  of  that 
state ;  the  former  was  of  Scotch  descent,  while 
the  latter  was  of  Irish  derivation.  They  had 
three  children,  there  being  besides  Theodore, 
a  daughter,  Emeline,  who  is  deceased,  and  Al- 
bert, who  resides  in  Greene  county,  Iowa.  By 
a  former  union  with  Mary  J.  Stewart,  William 
Kerr  had  three  children:  Elizabeth:  .\lfred; 
and  .Mary  Jane.  By  a  third  marriage.  William 
Kerr  had  three  more  children  :  Eclniond,  who 
resides  in  Omaha,  Nebraska;  Martha  M.,  of 
Wheeling,  W'est  \'irginia:  and  Xewton,  who 
lives  in  Rock  Island,  Illinois. 

Theodore  Kerr  secured  a  good  education  in 
the  ])ul)lic  schools  of  his  native  town,  and  he 
remained  in  Pennsylvania  until  1865,  when  in 
March  of  that  year  he  moved  to  Marshall 
county,  Illinois,  where  hp  worked  out  as  he 
had  done  in  Pennsylvania  the  six  previous 
years.     He  remained  in  that  county  until  the 


THE       \ 
NEW  vn^  -     - 

'  PUBLIC  L.^      ' 


J.  \V.  NORTOX. 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


433 


spring  of  1876,  when  he  moved  to  Adair 
county,  Iowa,  anil  there  he  continued  farming; 
in  tlie  following  spring  he  dro\-e  through  to 
Sedgwick  county,  Kansas,  with  his  hltle  fam- 
ily. A  Mr.  Andy  Halsey  had  filed  a  claim  on 
the  two  middle  "eighties"  of  the  south  half  of 
section  34,  township  29,  range  3,  west,  and 
our  subject  bought  his  interest  tlierein  for  '$22. 
As  but  very  few  if  any  improvements  had  been 
made,  our  subject  at  once  set  about  to  improve 
the  farm,  and  his  first  efforts  were  devoted  to 
moving  a  small  frame  house  which  he  had  pur- 
chased from  a  neighbor  upon  his  property  and 
to  breaking  a  few  acres  of  land.  As  he  im- 
proved the  soil  he  began  to  erect  good  substan- 
tial buildings  upon  his  place  antl  in  1885  built 
his  present  house,  while  in  later  years  he  added 
from  time  to  time  a  number  of  outbuildings 
and  a  barn.  With  the  exception  of  45  acres 
which  are  in  pasture,  his  entire  farm  is  under 
cultix'ation,  and  each  year  yields  considerable 
grain.  The  raising  of  cattle  and  hogs  also 
occupies  much  of  his  attention  and  he  is  very 
partial  to  Poland-China  swine.  He  has  a  fine 
orchard,  bearing  all  kinds  of  fruit.  The  farm 
lies  rather  high  for  fruit  trees  to  do  their  best, 
but  nex'ertheless  he  raises  fine  fruit  and  at  one 
time  set  out  1,000  trees  in  his  orchard,  which 
now  produce  excellent  fruit. 

While  residing-  in  Illinois,  Mr.  Kerr  was 
joined  in  marriage  with  Anna  Nighswonger, 
a  daughter  of  Abram  and  Jane  Nighswonger, 
who  were  early  settlers  of  Whitefield  township, 
Marshall  county,  ^ilinois.  Mrs.  Nighswonger 
now  resides  in  Sedgwick  county,  but  Mr. 
Nighswonger  died  many  years  ago.     Our  snli- 


ject  and  wife  have  ten  children,  wlio  are  named 

as  follows:  Alfred  W.  is  married  and  lives 
with  his  grandimither ;  Jennie;  Charles; 
Ulioda;  William;  Abram;  Marion;  John;  and 
Laura,  all  the  children  excepting  the  eldest  be- 
ing at  home.  Politically,  Mr.  Kerr  is  a  strong 
Democrat,  while  in  religious  views  he  is  a 
r.aiitist,  belonging  to  the  Ninnescah  Baptist 
church. 


W.  NORTON  has  been  engaged  in 
farming  throughout  his  entire  life  and 
in  this  pursuit  he  has  attained  tiie  best 
of  success.  He  is  well  known  throughout  Sedg- 
wick county,  Kansas,  where  he  has  resided  for 
many  years.  He  is  the  owner  of  a  very  valua- 
ble piece  of  farming  land,  for  the  soil  is  very 
fertile,  and  theJiouse  and  barns  are  all  in  first- 
class  condition.  Mr.  Norton  was  born  in 
Bureau  county,  Illinois,  in  1848,  and  is  a  son 
of  Robert  and  Mary  (Robison)  Norton. 

Robert  Norton  and  his  wife,  who  were  na- 
tives of  England,  shortly  after  their  marriage, 
in  1S40,  came  to  the  United  States,  where  they 
located  in  Bureau  county,  Illinois.  Tiiere  the 
father  of  J.  W.  carried  on  agricultural  jjursuits 
until  his  death,  in  1S52.  He  was  killed  by  a 
tree  which  fell  upon  him.  Mrs.  Robert  Norton 
passed  from  this  life  in  1872.  They  were  the 
parents  of  a  large  family,  consisting  of  the  fol- 
lowing children:  Matilda;  Faith;  Sarah; 
Anna;  Adam;  Phoebe;  Mary;  J.  W. ;  Mat- 
thew ;  and  Mark.  Matilda  was  married  to  Wil- 
liam Woodward,  and  both  are  deceased.  Faith 
lives  in  Carroll  ccnmty,  Iowa,  where  her  bus- 


434 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


band,  Henry  Brown,  is  engaged  in  farming. 
Sarah  first  married  Michael  Batdcirf,  wlio  was 
a  soldier  in  the  Civil  War  and  died  in  Lil)l)y 
prison;  she  married  again,  tliis  time  wedding 
James  Garrond,  and  now  lives  in  Bureau 
county,  Illinois.  Anna  died,  aged  si.xteen 
years,  .\dani  wedded  Lavina  Motherland,  and 
lives  in  .Atchison  county,  Missouri.  Phoebe  is 
the  wife  of  Murray  Moon.  Mary  married  Sol- 
omon Blinn,  and  lives  in  Carroll  county,  Iowa. 
Matthew  died,  aged  thirty-two  years.  Mark 
was  joined  in  marriage  with  Ruth  Prince,  and 
their  home  is  in  Bureau  county,  Illinois. 

Mr.  Norton  received  a  fair  schooling  in  his 
native  town,  rmd  remained  at  home  until  he 
was  twenty-six  years  of  age.  After  his  mar- 
riage, he  engaged  in  farming  on  his  own  ac- 
count, and  continued  thus  in  Iowa  for  nine 
years.  In  December,  1883,  he  moved  west,  to 
Kansas,  and  located  on  a  farm  in  Ohio  town- 
ship, Sedgwick  county,  where  he  lived  four 
years.  In  the  fall  of  1893.  he  bought  the 
Grimes  farm,  which  comprises  the  northeast 
quarter  of  section  34,  Waco  township,  and  all 
the  improvements  upon  that  piece  of  property 
are  the  result  of  Mr.  Norton's  own  labor.  He 
has  worked  diligently  for  many  years  to  place 
his  farm  among  the  best  in  the  county,  and  that 
he  has  succeeded  is  due  to  the  wonderful  de- 
termination and  untiring  energj'  he  possesses. 

February  28,  1875,  J-  ^^'-  Norton  and  Gussie 
Stearns,  of  Scott  county,  Illinois,  were  joined 
in  marriage  in  Bureau  county,  Illinois.  Mrs. 
Norton  is  a  daughter  of  Charles  R.  and  Sarah 
(Blackburn)  Stearns,  the  former  of  Connecti- 
cut, and  the  latter  of  England.     Mr.  Stearns 


died  in  1876,  and  his  widow  lives  in  Waco 
township,  Sedgwick  county.  One  child  has 
been  born  to  Mr.  Norton  and  his  wife, — Claude 
C,  whose  birth  occurred  August  18,  1876,  and 
who  was  married  December  25,  1900,  to  Viola 
Eccles,  of  Waco  township,  Sedgwick  county, 
Kansas.  In  politics,  Mr.  Norton  is  a  Popu- 
list, and  is  quite  acti\e  in  local  campaigns.  He 
has  served  as  school  director,  two  years;  as 
constable,  two  years ;  as  township  treasurer, 
two  years.  Religiously,  he  is  a  devoted  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  church,  in  which  he  is  a 
trustee,  and  assistant  superintendent  of  the 
Sabbath  school.  Mr.  Norton's  portrait  is 
shown  on  a  preceding  page  in  connection  with 
this  sketch. 


T-^IIOMAS  K.  KIMEL,  one  of  the 
early  settlers  of  Sedgwick  county,  Kan- 
sas, has  made  his  fortune  in  pursuing 
the  vocation  of  a  farmer  (which  was  also  his 
father's  occupation),  and  he  is  now  the  owner 
of  the  north  half  of  section  8,  township  29, 
range  2,  west,  in  Ninnescah  township.  He  was 
born  in  Trumbull  county,  Ohio,  in  1832,  and 
is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Anna  M.  (Hurst) 
Kiniel,  both  of  whom  are  deceased. 

In  1840,  Plenry  Kimel  moved  t(T  Mercer 
county.  Illinois,  where  he  carried  on  agricul- 
tural pursuits  until  his  death.  As  a  result  of 
his  marriage  to  Anna  M.  Plurst,  nine  children 
were  born,  of  whom  three  are  now  living:  a 
son,  in  Iowa :  another,  in  ^^'ashington,  and 
Thomas  K. 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


435 


Thomas  K.  Kimel  remained  under  the  pa- 
rental roof  until  lie  was  twenty-eight  years  of 
age.  During  his  early  }'iiuth  he  attended  the 
school  of  his  district,  which  was  located  about 
four  miles  from  his  home.  Although  he  lived 
at  home  after  he  attained  his  majority,  he  nev- 
ertheless earned  his  own  livelihood  by  farming 
a  piece  of  land  for  himself.  In  1873.  '^'-'^ 
brothers-in-law,  the  ]\Iounts,  urged  him  to  join 
them  on  a  trip  to  Kansas  to  inspect  that  por- 
tion of  the  country,  as  the  newspapers  of  that 
period  were  speaking  very  highly  of  the  fer- 
tility of  its  soil.  It  was  their  intention,  if  the 
inspection  should  prove  satisfactory,  for  each 
one  of  the  party  to  locate  upon  a  claim.  Mr. 
Kimel  finally  consented  to  join  them  on  the 
trip,  and  accordingly  rented  his  farm  in  Illi- 
nois for  the  year,  and  with  two  teams  the  party 
drove  through  to  Wichita,  Kansas,  arriving  on 
November  3,  1873.  During  that  winter.  Air. 
Kimel  filed  a  claim  on  the  northeast  quarter  of 
section  8  in  Ninnescah  township,  upon  which 
he  erected  the  necessary  claim  shanty,  which 
was  built  of  rough  boards.  This  served  as  a 
home  until  1877,  when  a  substantial  frame  one 
was  substituted  for  it.  On  March  11,  1874, 
Mr.  Kimel's  family  joined  him,  they  having 
spent  the  winter  in  ^^"ichita.  About  1885  the 
house  was  completed  to  its  present  size,  con- 
sisting of  two  parts, — the  first  being  24  by  16 
feet,  and  the  second  26  by  16  feet.  The  first 
stable  was  built  of  rough  boards,  but  a  new 
one  was  put  up  in  1878,  and  the  present  struc- 
ture was  erected  some  years  later.  In  the  fall 
of  1876,  Mr.  Kimel  with  his  family  returned 
to  Illinois,  where,  during  the  winter,  he  suc- 


ceeded in  disposing  of  his  farm,  but  he  re- 
turned to  Sedgwick  county  the  following 
spring.  Shortly  after  settling  in  this  county, 
he  got  a  man  to  locate  on  the  northwest  <|uar- 
ter  of  section  8,  and  subsequently  be  purchased 
the  same.  lie  put  out  a  grove  of  Cottonwood 
and  box  elder  trees,  and  later  an  orchard,  to 
which  he  added  a  hundred  different  trees  in 
1900.  The  farm  is  all  fenced  in,  and  also 
cross-fenced,  and  ab(3ut  half  of  it  is  turned  in 
every  year,  while  the  other  half  is  used  for  pas- 
ture. Mr.  Kimel  raises  considerable  grain, 
his  1900  crop  of  wheat  yielding  a  trifle  over 
20  bushels  to  the  acre.  .-\t  present  he  has  about 
50  head  of  cattle,  and  as  many  head  of  hogs. 
He  is  a  prosperous  farmer  and  is  well  known 
throughout  Sedgwick  county. 

November  3,  1859,  Mr.  Kimel  wedded  Re- 
becca Mounts,  a  daughter  of  William  Mounts, 
of  Mercer  county,  Illinois,  who  came  to  this 
county  with  the  subject  hereof,  and  who  later 
died  in  \\'ichita.  To  this  union  w-ere  born  the 
following  children:  William  E. ;  Mrs.  N.  H. 
George;  Jonathan  M. ;  H.  O. ;  Thomas  K., 
Jr. ;  Dollie  M. ;  Abbie  M. ;  Samuel  G. ;  and 
Anna  T.  William  E.  owns  the  southwest 
(|uarter  of  section  2  in  Ninnescah  township, 
and  also  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  10. 
Mrs.  George  lives  in  Arkansas  City,  Kansas, 
where  her  husband  is  engaged  in  railroading. 
Jonathan  M.  was  killed  in  Chandler,  Okla- 
homa, July  3,  1899.  H.  O.  farms  in  section  4, 
Ninnescah  township,  near  his  father's  prop- 
erty, and  has  three  children.  Thomas  K.,  Jr., 
lives  at  home.  Dollie  M.  is  a  dressmaker  at 
Wichita.     Abbie  M.  lives  at  horne.     Samuel 


4;i6 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


G.  works  for  tlic  Arkansas  City  Milling  Com- 
pany, at  Arkansas  City,  Kansas.  Anna  I', 
lives  at  home.  Tn  politics,  Mr.  Kimel  is  a 
Rei)ul)lican,  while  in  religions  views  he  is  a 
Methodist. 


IIOMAS  P.  HUDSON,  M.  D.,  who 
IS  prominent  among  the  physicians  of 
Sedgwick  county,  Kansas,  makes  his 
headquarters  in  Maize.  By  diligent  study  and 
perseverance,  coupled  with  many  years  of  prac- 
tice, he  has  acquired  a  knowledge  of  his  profes- 
sion which  has  placed  him  high  in  the  esteem 
of  his  brother  physicians,  and  won  for  him  the 
confidence  of  his  patrons.  He  was  born  in 
Leeds,  Yorkshire,  England,  in  April,  1838,  and 
is  a  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Rollinson)  Hud- 
son. 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hudson  were  born  in 
Leeds,  England,  and  the  former's  father  was 
for  many  years  a  shoe  merchant.  John  Hudson 
died  in  1888,  his  wife  having  passed  away  in 

1870.  Their  children  numbered  three,  namely : 
John  and  Elizabeth,  deceased ;  and  Thomas  P. 

Dr.  Hudson  attended  the  schools  of  his  na- 
tive town,  and  there  he  later  pursued  a  course 
of  study  with  a  view  to  his  present  occupation, 
but  the  degree  of  M.  D.  was  not  conferred 
upon  him  until  after  he  had  taken  a  course  in 
this  country.-  He  came  to  the  United  States  in 

1871,  where  he  practiced  the  first  year  in  Chi- 
cago, and  from  that  city  went  to  Streator.  Il- 
linois, where  he  spent  six  years.  He  graduated 
from  the  Eclectic  College,  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio 


(which  he  ji.id  attended  two  years),  in  June, 
1879.  Upon  leaving  that  institution,  he  re- 
turned to  Streator,  Illinois,  and  i)racticed  there 
until  1891.  During  his  stay  at  Streator  he 
gained  much  prominence  as  a  skilful  physician 
and  succeeded  in  establishing  a  large  and 
lucrative  practice.  In  that  year  he  moved  to 
Maize,  Kansas,  where  he  took  charge  of  the 
practice  of  his  son-in-law.  Dr.  John  M.  Hunter. 
Dr.  Hudson  is  well  thought  of  in  that  locality, 
being  considered  one  of  the  most  able  physi- 
cians in  Maize.  Although  compelled  to  confine 
himself  to  office  work  on  account  of  his  poor 
health,  he  has  succeeded  in  building  up  a  good 
practice. 

Dr.  Hudson  was  married  in  his  native  town 
to  Sarah  Pottage,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Abra- 
ham and  Elizabeth  (Conway)  Pottage, — the 
former  having  been  a  shoemaker  in  Leeds.  Dr. 
and  Mrs.  Hudson  have  had  but  one  child. — 
Emily,  who  is  the  widow  of  Dr.  John  M. 
Hunter,  who  died  in  Maize,  March  20,  1891. 
Dr.  John  M.  Hunter  w-as  a  prominent  physician 
of  this  county,  where  he  had  practiced  four 
years  and  had  previously  practiced  several  years 
at  Streator,  Illinois.  He  was  a  graduate  from 
the  Bennett  Medical  College,  receiving  his  de- 
gree in  1885.  He  left  a  wife  and  two  children, 
Ralph  Hudson,  born  June  16,  1885.  and  Lillie 
\"era.  born  July  29,  1891.  Mrs.  Hunter  is  the 
owner  of  a  fine  farm,  consisting  of  140  acres,  in 
section  5.  Park  townsliip.  which  property  she 
rents.  Dr.  Hudson  also  owns  a  fine  farm  of 
160  acres,  whicli  is  located  in  section  30,  Park 
township,  having  purchased  the  property  in 
1892.    Dr.  Hudson  is  a  member  of  the  Eclectic 


JAMES  F.  BKLLEW. 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


439 


Medical  Association  of  Kansas,  and  of  tlie  Na- 
tional Eclectic  Association.  Fraternally,  lie  is 
a  charter  member  of  the  K.  of  P.,  Lodge  No. 
217,  of  Maize,  of  which  he  is  medical  examiner. 
He  also  belongs  to  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America. 


^^AMES  F.  BELLEW,  who  located  in 
Sedgwick  county,  Kansas,  as  early  as 
1872,  is  one  of  the  substantial  citizens  of 
the  county,  and  is  engaged  in  the  real  estate 
and  ranch  business,  with  headquarters  in 
Wichita. 

Mr.  Bellew  was  born  in  Bloomington,  Mc- 
Lean county,  Illinois,  in  1849,  'i"*^  '^  a  son  of 
William  Bellew.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm, 
and  being  large  of  stature  enlisted  in  the  Union 
Army  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years.  He  first 
belonged  to  Company  F,  94th  Reg.,  111.  Vol. 
Inf.,  but  was  later  transferred  to  Company  G, 
37th  Regiment.  He  was  mustered  out  in  1866, 
bearing  the  rank  of  sergeant,  and  immediately 
returned  to  his  home.  He  worked  at  the  car- 
penter trade  until  1871,  when  he  went  to  De- 
catur, Illinois,  and  liecame  a  brakeman  on  the 
Wabash  Railroad.  He  arose  to  be  a  conductor 
in  1872,  but  not  liking  the  business  left  it,  and 
started  out  with  Thomas  Williamson,  driving 
a  team  to  Sedgwick  comity,  Kansas.  He 
located  in  Rockford  township,  worked  for  Mr. 
Stephenson  for  one  year,  and  then  bought  a 
claim  near  the  section  where  he  was  employed, 
which  he  subsequently  sold  to  Mr.  Reynolds. 
He  then  went  back  and  purchased  the  160-acre 


farm  of  Thomas  Williamson,  and  an  adjoining 
100  acres.  He  erected  a  set  of  buildings  and 
improved  the  land,  but  sold  the  property  in 
1886,  and  moved  to  Wichita.  When  the  county 
was  yet  new,  there  was  an  abundance  of  buffalo 
in  the  vicinity  of  his  tract,  and  he  with  others 
had  frequent  buffalo  hunts,  many  being  the 
hairbreadth  escapes  they  experienced.  This 
wild  land  of  those  days  is  now  included  in  the 
prettiest  farming  districts  of  Kansas.  During 
his  days  of  tilling  the  soil,  Mr.  Bellew  was  ex- 
tensively engaged  in  raising  Poland-China 
hogs,  having  brought  the  first  of  that  breed 
into  the  county.  On  his  old  farm  he  discovered 
an  agatite  mine,  which  is  being  operated  by 
a  company  with  a  capital  of  $50,000,  of  which 
Mr.  Bellew  is  one  of  the  stockholders.  They 
ship  an  average  of  two  carloads  per  day. 
Being  a  carpenter  by  trade,  Mr.  Bellew,  after 
moving  to  Wichita,  built  several  houses  during 
the  best  seasons,  and  thus  entered  into  the  real 
estate  and  ranch  business.  He  fits  up  ranches 
in  Kansas,  Oklahoma,  Texas,  and  New  Mexico, 
and  also  stocks  them.  He  is  a  man  of  excep- 
tional business  ability,  and  his  caieer  has  been 
a  very  active  one.  He  ma}'  be  classed  among 
the  most  progressive  citizens  of  Wichita,  and 
has  many  friends  in  the  city.  He  served  as 
district  clerk  and  street  commissioner  of 
Wichita  for  four  years. 

Mr.  Bellew  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Caroline  L.  Green,  a  daughter  of  Benjamin 
Green,  of  Decatur,  Illinois,  and  they  have  four 
children:  Rudie  G.,  a  carpenter;  Marie,  secre- 
tary of  the  Knights  and  Ladies  of  Security; 
Roy,  a  rancher;  and  Jennie.     Fraternally,  the 


440 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  member  of  the  An- 
cient Order  of  United  Workmen;  Knights  of 
Pythias;  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows; 
Knights  and  Ladies  of  Security;  U.  V.  U. ; 
and  G.  A.  R.  A  portrait  of  Mr.  Bellew  ac- 
companies this  sketch,  being  presented  on  a 
preceding  page. 


Ji 


R.  F.  RICHARDSON,  who  has  had 
a  long  and  active  business  career,  is 
now  a  physician  of  Wichita,  Kansas, 
where  he  enjoys  a  large  and  lucrative  practice. 
He    is    also    a     prominent    horseman. 

Dr.  Richardson  was  born  in  Collinsville, 
Connecticut,  in  1844,  is  a  son  of  Henry  Rich- 
ardson, and  is  of  English  ancestry.  A  branch 
of  his  family  has  held  one  farm  for  a  period 
of  over  two  hundred  years.  The  Doctor  first 
attended  the  public  schools  of  his  native  state, 
and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years  went  to  Spring- 
field, Illinois,  where  he  worked  for  his  brother, 
W.  D.  Richardson,  a  contractor  of  prominence. 
He  served  in  the  capacity  of  foreman  or  super- 
intendent, and  worked  on  the  Lincoln  monu- 
ment and  the  Illinois  state  house.  His  brother 
was  prominent  in  the  construction  of  the 
World's  Fair  buildings,  representing  an  out- 
lay of  $19,000,000.  Dr.  Richardson  next 
spent  four  years  as  ticket  agent  for  the  Wabash 
Railroad,  at  Springfield,  after  which  he  applied 
himself  to  the  study  of  medicine  under  Dr.  F. 
L.  Mathews,  who  was  medical  instructor  in 
the  Blackburn  University,  in  Illinois.  After 
spending  two  years    with    Dr.   Mathews    he 


studied  eighteen  months  with  Dr.  Wilco.x, 
making  in  all  fifteen  years  of  residence  in  Illi- 
nois. He  then  moved  to  Kansas,  and  in  1877 
passed  an  e.xamination  before  the  state  medical 
board,  receiving  a  diploma.  He  began  practic- 
ing in  Rice  county,  Kansas,  and  continued 
there  with  good  results  until  September,  1895. 
At  that  period  he  located  at  Wichita  and  open- 
ed an  office  at  No.  246  North  Main  street, 
where  he  has  since  enjoyed  a  good  practice. 

Dr.  Richardson  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Mary  M.  Hutchinson,  a  daughter  of  My- 
ron H.  Hutchinson,  whose  family  were  also 
early  settlers  of  Connecticut.  The  marriage 
occurred  at  Salisbury,  Litchfield  county,  Con- 
necticut, and  the  Doctor  and  his  wife  became 
the  parents  of  seven  children,  of  whom  five 
are  now  living,  namely :  Harvey  G. ;  Myron 
H. ;  Bessie ;  Carrie ;  and  Mary.  Harry  G.  is 
the  genial  night  clerk  of  the  Leland  Hotel, 
at  Springfield,  Illinois.  Myron  H.  is  in  the 
office  of  the  New  York  Life  Insurance  Com- 
pany, at  Rochester,  New  York.  Charles,  the 
third  son,  now  deceased,  took  charge  of  a  cigar 
stand  in  the  Leland  Hotel,  at  Springfield,  Illi- 
nois, at  the  age  of  fourteen  years.  At  the  same 
time  he  attended  school  and  graduated  in 
Springfield  at  the  head  of  a  class  of  44  mem- 
bers, at  the  age  of  twenty  years.  He  then 
went  to  Chicago,  where  he  was  identified  with 
the  law  firm  of  Shope,  Barrett  &  Rogers,  prac- 
ticing and  studying  law  until  he  enlisted  in  the 
army  during  the  war  with  Spain.  He  went 
to  Cuba  and  died  soon  after  leaving  the 
trenches  at  Santiago,  August  20,.  1898.  His 
death  was  a  sad  blow  to  his  family,  and  to  his 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


441 


numerous  friends.  Bessie  lives  at  home,  and 
is  a  teacher  in  the  scliools  in  Sedgwick  county. 
Carrie  and  Mary  are  clerks  in  the  store  of 
Morseman  &  Innes.  Dr.  Richardson  has  a 
nephew,  Milo  B.  Richardson,  who  is  presi- 
dent of  one  of  the  largest  steel  and  iron  firms 
in  the  East.  Fraternally,  the  Doctor  is  a  mem- 
ber of  a  number  of  secret  organizations.  He 
twice  voted  for  Abraham  Lincoln  for  presi- 
dent, and  now  takes  an  active  interest  in  Kan- 
sas politics,  but  is  independent.  From  child- 
hood he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Episcopal 
church.  Dr.  Richardson  owns  a  very  valuable 
horse,  "Billy  the  Twister,"  registered  in  trot- 
ting and  pacing,  with  a  record  of  2:15.  This 
animal  has  been  campaigned  in  Iowa,  Mis- 
souri, Nebraska,  Oklahoma,  Texas,  and  Kan- 
sas, and  in  23  races  has  been  outside  of  the 
money  but  three  times.  "Billy  the  Twister's" 
sister.  "Hope,"  with  a  colt  by  her  side,  is  an- 
other valuable  animal  belonging  to  the  Doctor, 
and  has  a  good  record. 


C.  DUNN,  one  of  the  leading  business 
men  of  Wichita,  Kansas,  is  engasred 
•  in  the  wholesale  and  retail  crockery 
trade,  having  a  large  establishment  on  Douglas 
avenue.  He  was  born  at  Richmond,  Indiana, 
in  1859,  and  is  a  son  of  Isaac  D.  and  Nancy  B. 
(Cofifin)  Dunn. 

Isaac  D.  Dunn  was  engaged  in  farming  for 
many  years,  and  also  in  mercantile  pursuits  at 
Dunnville,  Indiana.  He  is  a  man  of  consider- 
able prominence,  and  twice  represented  his  dis- 


trict in  the  Indiana  legislature.  He  married 
Nancy  B.  Coffin,  whose  family  was  established 
in  this  country  in  the  seventeenth  century,  her 
ancestors  having  come  to  Nantucket,  Massa- 
chusetts, from  England.  They  were  parents 
of  three  children:  Carrie  (Secrist),  of  Indi- 
ana; George  N.,  who  is  in  partnership  with  his 
brother;  and  J.  C,  who  is  the  subject  of  this 
sketch. 

J.  C.  Dunn  was  thirteen  years  of  age  when 
his  family  moved  to  Jasper  county,  Indiana, 
where  he  received  his  mental  training  in  the 
public  schools.  He  then  taught  school  for  four 
winters  in  that  county,  after  which  he  left 
home.  He  came  to  Kansas  on  July  i,  1883, 
first  locating  at  Hutchinson,  where  he  secured 
a  place  on  a  farm  and  did  what  other  work  he 
could  get.  He  next  moved  to  Wichita  and  se- 
cured a  position  in  the  cjueensware  business 
with  Huse  &  Carleton,  on  Main  street,  and  still 
later  obtained  employment  in  the  same  line  with 
E.  J.  Foster.  In  1890,  he  formed  a  partner- 
ship, which  existed  until  1896.  He  then  went 
into  business  for  himself,  establishing  the  firm 
of  J.  C.  Dunn  &  Brother.  They  were  first  lo- 
cated in  the  Sedgwick  Block,  on  Market  street, 
and  in  1898  moved  to  their  present  excellent 
quarters  on  Douglas  avenue.  Thev  carry  a 
magnificent  line  of  queensware  and  glassware, 
much  of  which  is  imported  from  foreign  coun- 
tries. They  have  enjoyed  a  gradual  increase 
in  business,  and  are  recognized  as  one  of  the 
foremost  firms  in  this  line  in  the  state  of  Kan- 
sas. They  have  a  wholesale  and  retail  trade, 
and  employ  five  assistants  in  the  store. 

Mr.  Dunn  was  united  in  marriage  with  Mary 


442 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


Fesler,  a  dauglitcr  of  George  Feslcr,  an  early 
settler  of  Kosciusko  county,  Indiana,  and  they 
arc  tlie  parents  of  five  children  :  Charles;  Geor- 
gia; llcrshel;  Paul;  and  Allie.  Mr.  Dunn  is  a 
Repulilican  in  politics,  and  is  serving  his  sec- 
ond term  on  the  board  of  education,  of  which 
lie  is  president.  He  is  a  thirty-second  degree 
Mason  and  belongs  to  Wichita  Consistory; 
he  is  master  of  Sunflower  Lodge  No.  86;  and 
is  also  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F. ;  and  of  the 
Modern  Tontins,  a  new  order,  which  origi- 
nated in  Wichita,  Kansas. 


T-^  HOMAS  N.  TRICKEY,  a  veteran 
of  the  Civil  W^ar  and  a  well  known  citi- 
zen of  Wichita,  Kansas,  is  general  agent 
of  the  Indemnity  Fire  Insurance  Company.  He 
was  born  at  Wakefield,  New  Hampshire,  De- 
ceml)er  lo,  1833,  ''"*^'  '^  "^  •''*^"  of  William  II. 
Trickey. 

Thomas  N.  Trickey  moved  from  his  native 
town  to  Bangor,  Maine,  thence  to  Exeter, 
Maine,  spending  his  boyhood  days  on  the  farm 
and  in  attending  the  public  schools.  At  the  age 
of  seventeen  years,  he  went  to  Wolfboro,  New 
Hampshire,  learned  the  shoemaker's  trade,  and 
there  worked  at  it  until  1855.  He  then  decided 
lo  go  west  and  lived  in  Peoria,  Illinois,  for  one 
season,  after  which  he  spent  a  year  in  St. 
Joseph,  Missouri.  He  ne.xt  moved  to  Topeka, 
Kansas,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  boot  and 
shoe  business  until  1862.  Pie  enlisted  in  com- 
pany H,  35th  Reg.,  Mo.  Vol.  Inf.,  and  was 
made  lieutenant  in  the  54th  Reg.  U.  S.  A.  (col- 


ored tnxips)  on  June  7,  1863.  He  served 
tlniiuj.;lii)ut  the  war,  and  was  under  Capt. 
Logan  at  the  Little  Rock  (Arkansas)  military 
prison.  He  was  mustered  out  December  31, 
1866,  and  returned  to  St.  Joseph,  Missouri, 
where  he  purchased  a  farm.  In  1870,  he  went 
into  the  boot  and  shoe  business,  but  in  1S71  sold 
out  and  with  his  brother,  Jasper  N.,  now  of  Cal- 
ifornia, opened  a  grocery  in  Wichita,  in  a  small 
building,  16  by  36  feet  in  size,  at  the  corner  of 
Third  and  Main  streets.  They  continued  there 
for  a  year  and  a  half,  and  their  trade  increased 
with  such  rapidity  that  they  were  obliged  to 
seek  new  quarters.  They  also  wished  a  more 
central  location  and  Mr.  Fetcheimer  built  for 
them  the  brick  block  now  the  location  of  the 
Commercial  National  Bank,  upon  their  signing 
a  three  years'  lease  at  a  rental  of  $1,000  per 
annum.  They  continued  at  this  location  until 
1878,  when  they  disposed  of  their  business,  and 
Thomas  N.  Trickey  moved  to  Derby,  wdiere  he 
had  bought  property,  and  there  remained  two 
years.  He  then  opened  a  general  store  at  Mul- 
vane,  Kansas,  which  he  conducted  until  1887, 
when  he  sold  out.  He  went  into  the  real  estate 
and  insurance  business  and  witnessed  the 
growth  of  the  town  from  100  to  800  inhab- 
itants. He  built  several  houses  and  business 
blocks  there,  and  met  with  great  success  in  his 
business.  In  1898  he  returned  to  Wichita, 
where  he  has  built  for  himself  a  fine  residence. 
In  August,  1900,  he  established  the  agency  of 
the  Indemnity  Fire  Insurance  Company,  in 
which  he  promises  to  meet  with  as  much  suc- 
cess as  in  his  other  business  ventures.  He  is  a 
man  of  recognized  ability,  is  energetic  and  en- 


The 

NEW  VORK      Y 
[PU8UCU8(SARy1 


ALBKRT  G.   WAl.DKN. 


MRS.  MALVINA  DRESCHAUX  VVALDEN. 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


447 


terprising,   and   ranks  among  the  progressive 
citizens  of  Wichita. 

Mr.  Trickey  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Hannah  S.  Woodcock,  a  native  of  Maine,  and 
they  are  parents  of  four  cliildren :  Fred  S.,  a 
mail  clerk  on  the  Pan  Handle  road,  who  mar- 
ried Grace  E.  Sells,  has  one  child,  Dorothy,  and 
owns  a  fine  residence  in  Wichita ;  Alice  E. ; 
Walter  T.,  a  clerk  in  Wichita;  and  Cecil  C. 
Fraternally,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a 
Mason,  a  Knight  Templar ;  and  is  a  member  of 
Mulvane  Post,  No.  203,  G.  A.  R.,  of  which  he 
is  past  commander. 


I.BERT  G.  WALDEN,  a  gentleman  of 


considerable  prominence,  whose  por- 
trait is  shown  herewith,  has  served 
with  recognized  efficiency  as  chief  of  the  fire 
department  of  the  city  of  Wichita  since  1886, 
and  is  ex-superintendent  of  the  American  Dis- 
trict Telegraph  Company.  He  was  born  in 
Hamilton  county,  Ohio,  December  29,  1849, 
and  is  a  son  of  Baltzer  and  Julia  A.  (Streeter) 
Walden. 

Baltzer  Walden  moved  from  New  York  State 
in  early  manhood  to  Hamilton  county,  Ohio. 
He  became  a  shipbuilder  on  the  Ohio  River, 
and  dealt  in  lumber,  being  very  successful  in 
his  business.  His  shipyard  was  located  at  Ful- 
ton, on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio  River,  where  he 
lived  until  1855,  when  he  located  at  Dayton, 
Kentucky,  just  across  the  river  from  his  place 
of  business.  He  was  killed  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
in   1855,  by  the  falling  of  a  cornice  from  tl'i'.- 


Ohio  Trust  Building,  five  others  losing  their 
lives  through  the  same  occurrence.  Fie  was 
forty-two  years  old  at  the  time  of  his  death. 
His  wife,  Julia  A.,  died  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
six  years.  They  were  parents  of  nine  children, 
four  of  whom  are  now  living:  Adolphus  P.; 
Grandville  N. ;  Albert  G. ;  and  Edward  D. 

Albert  G.  Walden  received  his  intellectual 
training  in  Dayton,  Kentucky,  and  in  1862, 
when  a  boy  of  thirteen  years,  joined  his 
brother,  Adolphus  P.,  who  was  then  a  soldier 
stationed  at  Milliken's  Bend,  Mississippi.  Dur- 
ing Grant's  expedition  and  first  advance  on 
Vicksburg,  Albert  G.  Walden  was  captured  by 
the  Confederates  near  Raymond,  Mississippi, 
and  again,  near  Vermilion,  Louisiana,  having 
been  twice  taken  prisoner  before  reaching  the 
age  of  fourteen  years. 

He  remained  with  his  brother's  regiment,  the 
8th  Reg.,  Ind.  Vol.  Inf.,  until  1864,  when  it 
was  veteranized.  He  enlisted  in  its  ranks  with 
Company  K,  and  was  later  transferred  to  Com- 
pany B,  156th  Reg.,  Ind.  Vol.  Inf.,  and  con- 
tinued in  the  service,  as  a  musician,  until  the 
close  of  the  war,  in  1865.  He  was  at  the  battles 
of  Champion  Hill,  Black  River,  siege  of  Vicks- 
burg, and  many  others.  He  accompanied  Gen- 
eral Banks'  expedition,  and  was  captured  by 
the  Confederates,  but,  after  a  lapse  of  three 
days,  was  retaken  by  the  Union  soldiers.  At 
the  end  of  the  war  he  went  to  Anderson,  In- 
diana, whither  his  family  had  moved  in  1862, 
and  remained  there  until  1868,  when  he  entered 
the  regular  army.  He  served  five  years  as  a 
soldier,  being  stationed  at  Atlanta,  Georgia, 
and  other  Southern  points.    Retiring  from  mil- 


448 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


itary  life,  he  went  to  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  and 
was  engaged  in  tlie  live  stock  business,  with  a 
brother,  until  1880,  when  he  moved  to  St. 
Joseph,  Missouri,  and  assisted  in  building  the 
city  water  works.  He  subsequently  acted  as 
traveling  salesman  for  a  wholesale  house  in 
that  city,  for  four  years,  and  during  that  time, 
in  1882,  came  to  Wichita,  Kansas,  where,  after 
leaving  the  road,  he  opened  a  sample  room  for 
notions  and  hosiery,  representing  a  Philadel- 
phia firm.  In  November,  1886,  he  was  ap- 
pointed chief  of  the  Wichita  Fire  Department, 
an  office  he  has  held  ever  since.  Under  his  vig- 
orous, systematic  and  businesslike  manage- 
ment, it  has  become  the  finest  and  most  effective 
fire-fighting  organization  in  the  state  of  Kan- 
sas. He  organized  the  paid  fire  department  and 
became  its  first  chief.  He  has  taken  a  great 
interest  in  the  fire  departments  of  other  cities, 
has  studied  their  methods,  and  now  has  the 
Wichi*a  department  in  thoroughly  up-to-date 
form.  He  organized,  and  was  the  first  super- 
intendent of  the  American  District  Telegraph 
Company  in  Wichita,  and  established  a  fine  fire 
alarm  system  for  the  city.  He  is  a  thorough 
business  man  in  every  respect,  and  his  conserva- 
tive administration  of  the  affairs  of  the  depart- 
ment has  resulted  in  a  large  saving  to  the  city. 
Mr.  W^alden  was  united  in  marriage,  Decem- 
ber 6,  1882,  to  Malvina  A.  Dreschaux,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Edward  and  Albertine  Dreschaux.  He 
is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  socially  is  a 
member  of  Warwick  Lodge,  No.  44,  K.  of  P. ; 
Wichita  Division,  No.  2,  Uniformed  Rank,  K. 
of  P.,  of  which  he  has  been  commander  three 
years;  A.  O.  U.  W. ;  and  B.  P.  O.  E. 


Mks.  Malvina  Dreschaux  Walden,  a 
talented  singer  and  a  most  competent  instrlictor 
in  music,  takes  rank  among  the  representative 
residents  of  Wichita  and  Sedgwick  count).  It 
is  seldom  women  rise  to  such  prominence  in  a 
community,  and  her  position  but  emphasizes 
the  extent  of  her  accomplishments.  Her  musi- 
cal education  was  mainly  acquired  in  Europe, 
where  the  latent  qualities  of  an  unusually  rich 
voice  were  rounded  out  and  developed  to  the 
fullest  degree,  attracting  wide  attention  both 
in  foreign  lands  and  in  America.  Natural  abil- 
ity together  with  perseverance  in  study  were 
crowned  with  brilliant  success.  In  teaching,  she 
has  closely  followed  the  methods  of  her  mas- 
ters, with  wonderful  results  as  the  progress 
and  attainments  of  her  pupils  have  evidenced. 

Mrs.  W'alden  was  born  at  sea,  aboard  a  mer- 
chant vessel,  the  "Prince  of  Wales,"  which  plied 
between  Australia  and  London.  She  is  of 
French-German  descent.  As  the  ship  passed 
the  equator,  the  Union  Jack  was  hoisted  and  she 
was  christened,  thus  making  her  a  subject  of 
the  British  realm.  She  was  four  months  old 
when  the  ship  reached  London,  and  was  then 
taken  by  her  parents  to  Norway,  where  she  lived 
until  she  was  nearly  seven  years  of  age.  It 
was  manifest  at  that  age  that  she  possessed 
pronounced  musical  aljility,  and  her  musical 
training  was  begini  in  Norway.  Her  parents 
came  to  America  and  located  at  Vicksburg, 
Mississippi,  where  she  continued  the  study  of 
music  under  Prof.  Fischer,  a  graduate  of  Leip- 
zig. Moving  to  St.  Louis,  she  received  instruc- 
tion under  Prof.  Earnst,  after  which  she  began 
teaching   the   piano,    and    sang   in   the   Grace 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


449 


cliurch  choir.  She  studied  music  in  Wichita 
until  i88g,  when,  accompanied  by  her  mother, 
she  went  to  Europe  to  complete  her  musical 
work.  Mrs.  Walden  entered  the  Royal  Con- 
servatory at  Munich,  pursuing  a  rigid  course 
until  the  end  of  the  third  term,  when,  pursuant 
to  advice  of  friends,  she  went  to  Milan  to  con- 
tinue her  study  under  one  of  the  most  famous 
of  instructors,  Maestro  Lamperti.  Finally  the 
ill  health  of  Maestro  Lamperti  made  it  neces- 
sary for  him  to  abandon  his  work  and  seek  re- 
'  lief  at  the  noted  health  resort  at  San  Remo. 
The  next  summer  Mrs.  Walden  spent  in  hard 
study  under  Mme.  Lemair,  at  the  latter's  villa 
at  Gerniingiaga  on  Lake  Maggiore.  Owing  to 
the  departure  of  her.  instructor  because  of  the 
death  of  a  relative,  she  became  a  pupil  of  Maes- 
tro Pontecchi.  The  latter  offered  to  her  apart- 
ments for  herself  and  mother  in  his  family  resi- 
dence, in  the  Bergamasco  Mountains,  which  she 
accepted,  and  under  him  took  a  special  course 
in  the  art  of  teaching,  being  privileged  to  ob- 
serve him  while  instructing  his  pupils.  Upon 
her  return  to  Wichita  she  gave  a  concert  which 
was  attended  by  a  very  select  audience,  showing 
that  her  fellow  citizens  and  friends  were  much 
interested  in  her  career,  and  the  applause,  which 
her  renditions  elicited,  assured  her  that  her 
years  of  toil  had  not  beei:  in  vain.  Many  times 
since  has  she  appeared  in  concert  in  Wichita, 
and  as  far  west  as  the  Pacific  Coast,  to  large 
audiences.  She  accepted  the  directorship  of 
the  vocal  department  of  Garfield  University, 
and  her  work  as  an  instructor  has  been  equal  to 
that  of  her  singing.  There  is  perhaps  no  finer 
singer  in  the  West  than  Mrs.  Malvina  Dres- 


cheau.x  Walden,  and  she  is  looked  upon  with 
especial  pride  by  the  people  of  the  county.  She 
has  also  evinced  considerable  talent  as  a  writer, 
contril)uting,  at  intervals,  articles  to  various 
musical  publications,  among  them  the  Musician, 
to  which  the  leading  musicians  of  the  world 
contribute.  A  portrait  of  Mrs.  Walden  ac- 
companies this  sketch. 


OWARD  BROWN,  who  resides  in  the 
southeast  quarter  of  section  ii,  town- 
ship 28,  range  4,  west,  is  a  worthy 
representative  of  one  of  the  pioneer  families 
of  Sedgwick  county,  Ivansas,  and  was  born  in 
Kalamazoo  county,  Michigan,  in  1866,  and  is 
a  son  of  John  W.  and  Martha  (Hopkins) 
Brown. 

John  W.  Brown  was  a  carpenter  and  con- 
tractor by  trade,  which  he  followed  in  Michi- 
gan until  he  came  to  Sedgwick  county,  Kansas. 
He  located  in  this  county  in  1878,  bringing 
with  him  his  family,  consisting  of  his  wife, 
four  sons  and  a  daughter.  His  daughter  is 
now  Mrs.  W.  B.  Anderson,  whose  husband  re- 
sides in  Kingman  county,  Kansas.  One  son, 
L.  W.,  reside  in  Kennett,  Missouri.  G.  W^, 
another,  is  deceased ;  he  started  the  first  news- 
paper in  the  county,  outside  of  Wichita,  known 
as  the  Cheney  Journal;  at  the  time  of  his  death 
he  was  foreman  of  the  Denwerat,  at  Wichita. 
Robert  and  Howard  were  the  other  sons.  ]\Ir. 
Brown  first  purchased  160  acres  in  Erie  town- 
ship, and  80  acres  in  Morton  township,  and 
after  he  had  made  extensive  improvements  in 


450 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


the  way  of  putting  out  ;i  large  orchard  and 
otlierwise  cultivating  the  soil,  he  was  offered 
and  accepted  a  handsome  price  for  the  farm. 
The  purchaser  was  Mr.  Jewett,  who  made  the 
purchase  a  part  of  his  big  ranch,  but  the  ranch 
has  been  recently  sold  to  a  Mr.  Harmon.  With 
the  proceeds  of  this  sale,  Mr.  Brown  bought  a 
tract  of  land,  consisting  of  the  southwest  quar- 
ter of  section  12,  and  the  southeast  quarter  of 
section  11,  both  in  township  28,  range  4,  west. 
He  at  once  set  out  a  six-acre  orchard  and  many 
shade  trees,  and  put  up  good,  substantial  out- 
buildings. In  1892,  he  built  a  large  granary, 
and  after  many  years  of  hard  and  constant  la- 
bor, he  gave  his  present  farm  a  rank  among  the 
best  in  Sedg^vick  county.  His  death,  which 
occurred  in  1893,  was  deeply  deplored  by  his 
family,  as  well  as  by  a  host  of  friends, — who 
knew  him  to  have  led  an  irreproachable  life. 
He  was  a  man  of  untiring  energy,  always  la- 
boring for  the  advancement  and  weal  of  the 
community  of  his  adoption,  and  the  high  stand- 
ing of  Sedgwick  among  her  sister  counties,  in 
point  of  agricultural  worth,  is  attributable  to 
the  influence  of  such  personal  qualities  as  char- 
acterized Mr.  Brown.  His  fellow  citizens  man- 
ifested their  confidence  in  and  esteem  for  him 
by  electing  him  to  various  official  positions, 
the  duties  of  which  he  fulfilled  to  the  satisfac- 
tion of  all.  He  served  on  the  school  board 
from  the  time  he  settled  in  this  county  until  his 
death. 

Howard  Brown  is  engaged  in  farming  on 
the  farm  left  him  by  his  father,  and  with  him 
lives  his  aged  mother,  whom  he  looks  after 
with   the   greatest   of   care.     Besides    raising 


much  grain,  Mr.  Brown  also  devotes  consider- 
able time  to  breeding  Poland-China  hogs  and 
Galloway  cattle,  in  which  line  he  is  quite  suc- 
cessful. The  Brown  family  have  always  been 
good  Christians,  but  have  never  favored  any 
one  church.  In  politics,  Howard  Brown  is  a 
Populist,  and  has  served  as  township  clerk,  as 
school  treasurer,  and  is  now  on  the  school 
board.  The  family  has  always  been  classed 
among  the  worthiest  in  Sedgwick  county,  and 
the  sons  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  are  keep- 
ing up  the  good  name  established  by  their 
father. 


AMES  P.  Mccormick,  an  extensive 
land  owner  of  Greeley  township,  Sedg- 
wick county,  Kansas,  is  one  of  the  most 
prominent  auctioneers  in  the  central  portion  of 
Southern  Kansas.  He  has  been  successful  in 
this  calling  to  such  an  extent  that  his  time  is 
almost  entirely  devoted  to  its  requirements, — 
his  sales  often  occurring  on  every  day  in  the 
week.  His  work  is  mainly  in  Reno,  Sedgwick, 
Sumner  and  Kinginan  counties,  where  he  is 
widely  known.  He  owns  a  large  amount  of 
property  in  Sedgwick  county,  and  resides  in 
Mount  Hope. 

Mr.  McCormick  was  born  in  Brown  county, 
Ohio,  January  24,  1844.  and  is  a  son  of  Con- 
rad H.  and  Jane  (Porter)  McCormick,  the 
former  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  the  lat- 
ter of  Ohio.  John  McCormick,  grandfather  of 
James  P.,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and  was 
reared  to  agricultural  pursuits.    When  a  young 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


451 


man  he  enlisted  in  the  Revolutionary  Army,  and 
served  with  Washington  throughout  the  war. 
He  learned  the  trade  of  a  miller,  which  he  fol- 
lowed throughout  his  life,  in  Pennsylvania  and 
Ohio,  dying  in  the  latter  state  at  the  advanced 
age  of  one  hundred  and  four  years,  six  months 
and  fourteen  days.  His  wife  was  Christina  Hil- 
licost,  who  bore  him  lo  children:  Enoch; 
Sarah ;  James ;  Catherine ;  John ;  Isaac ;  Sam- 
uel ;  Conrad  H. ;  Susan ;  and  Nancy.  In  reli- 
gious belief  the  family  were  Baptists.  The 
mother  died  in  1S47,  ^^^  'he  age  of  eighty-five 
years. 

Conrad  H.  McCormick,  father  of  James  P., 
was  born  July  i,  18 13,  in  Washington  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  obtained  his  mental  instruc- 
tion in  the  ])rimitive  schools  of  that  period. 
School  was  held  in  a  little  log  building,  lighted 
through  an  opening  covered  with  greased  cloth. 
The  floors  were  of  roughly  hewn  lumber,  and 
the  seats  were  constructed  of  slabs.  After  leav- 
ing school,  J\Ir.  McCormick  worked  in  a  mill 
with  his  father,  and  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years 
learned  the  trade  of  a  mason,  which  he  followed 
many  years  in  Ohio  and  Illinois.  He  then 
turned  his  attention  to  farming  in  the  last 
named  state,  where  he  purchased  land  for  that 
purpose.  He  sold  out  in  1873,  and  moved  with 
his  family  to  Kansas,  where  he  settled  upon  160 
acres  of  land  in  section  18,  Greeley  townshiii, 
Sedgwick  county,  now  owned  by  his  son,  James 
P.  He  followed  farming  until  his  retirement, 
in  1888,  and  now  lives  in  Mount  Hope,  with 
three  sons.  He  is  a  vigorous  old  man,  and  enjoys 
the  best  of  health.  That  he  has  retained  all  his 
powers  is  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  on  October 


22,  1900,  he  drove  a  frisky  four  year  old  a  dis- 
tance of  three  miles,  with  no  one  accompanying 
him.  In  1832,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Jane  Porter,  who  was  horn  in  1813,  and  was  a 
daughter  of  Isaac  Porter.  She  bore  him  seven 
children:  Marian;  George;  Samuel;  James; 
David;  William;  and  Joseph.  Religiously, 
both  parents  were  members  of  the  M.  E.  church 
before  marriage,  and  have  thus  continued. 

James  P.  McCormick  received  his  schooling 
in  Illinois,  and  remained  at  home  until  after  his 
marriage,  when  he  engaged  in  the  livery  and 
sale  stable  business  in  McLean  county,  Illinois. 
He  followed  this  until  1873,  ^"^  then  sold  out. 
In  1877  he  moved  to  Kansas  and  located  in 
Sedgwick  county.  He  purchased  160  acres  of 
land  in  section  18,  later  120  acres  in  section  7 
and  160  acres  in  section  28, — all  in  Greeley 
township.  He  has  always  dealt  extensively  in 
horses  and  mules,  and  rents  out  his  farming 
land.  He  has  followed  the  business  of  an  auc- 
tioneer since  he  located  in  this  vicinity,  and 
made  the  first  auction  sale  in  the  county.  He 
is  reliable,  thoroughly  understands  the  business, 
and  his  services  are  in  constant  demand. 

January  i,  1872,  Mr.  McCormick  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Susan  A.  Wheelock,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Gardner  L,  and  Caroline  A.  (Wood) 
Wheelock,  who  came  of  good  Puritan  stock. 
Three  children  have  blessed  this  union  :  Thad, 
who  married  Phila  Hamilton,  of  Mount  Hope, 
by  whom  he  has  three  children, — Everett, 
Marcy,  and  an  infant  daughter;  Ralph,  who 
married  Pearl  Dyer,  of  Wisconsin ;  and  Carrie 
L.,  who  is  attending  school,  and  has  kept  house 
for  her  father  since  the  death  of  her  mother,  on 


452 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


August  1 8.  1 89 J.  The  subject  of  this  sketch 
is  a  member  of  the  Congregational  church  ><\ 
^^ount  Hope. 


[-d) F.ORGE  C.  SIDI.I'.S,  an  early  sct- 

;i)T  tier  of  Sedgwick  county,  Kansas,  is  a 
l>r<isperous  fai-nicr,  who  owns  160  acres 
of  liighly  cultivated  land  in  section  18.  Sherman 
tounsliip.  He  is  one  of  the  few  who  have  de- 
voted the  greater  part  of  their  attention  to  the 
upbuilding  and  advancement  of  the  community 
in  which  he  lives.  lie  was  born  March  9,  1835, 
and  is  a  son  of  Israel  Sidles,  and  grandson  of 
Peter  Sidles. 

Peter  Sidles  was  born  in  Germany,  and  was 
the  only  one  of  his  family  to  emigrate  to  this 
country.  At  the  time  of  the  Revolutionary 
War  he  was  living  in  Penn.sylvania,  pursuing 
his  vocation  as  a  cooper.  When  that  sanguin- 
ary conflict  began  he  was  among  the  first  of  the 
colonials  to  take  the  field  in  behalf  of  this  coun- 
try's independence.  He  served  throughout  the 
war,  and  was  a  musician  in  the  army.  He  was 
thrice  married,  and  was  the  father  of  a  large 
family.  After  the  victory  had  been  won,  he 
moved  to  Lebanon,  Ohio,  where  be  purchased 
a  farm  and  lived  there  the  rest  of  his  days. 
Israel  Sidles,  the  father  of  George  G.,  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania  in  1797,  and  with  his  parents 
went  to  Lebanon,  Ohio,  where  he  received  his 
early  schooling.  Though  still  in  his  teens,  he 
enlisted  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  after  England 
had  met  her  second  defeat  at  the  bands  of  the 
colonies  he  returned  home  and  purchased  a  tract 
of  land,  which  he  cultivated  until  his  death,  in 


I'Vbruary,  1865.  I  Ic  was  a  man  of  considerable 
intbicncc  in  his  neigbborhdod,  and  was 
esteemed  by  all  who  knew  him.  1  le  was  joined 
in  marriage  with  Nancy  Morrison,  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  a  daughter  of  (iaven  Mor- 
ri.son,  who  spent  his  active  years  in  Ohio.  The 
marriage  occurred  in  1818,  and  the  couple  were 
blessed  by  the  birth  of  the  following  children: 
Julia  Ann;  Charlotte;  Peter;  Alexander;  Han- 
nah ;  Catherine ;  George  G. ;  Ann  Eliza ;  Israel ; 
Nancy;  Mary  L.,  and  a  child  who  died  in  in- 
fancy. Religiously,  the  family  were  Method- 
ists, while  in  politics  Mr.  Sidles  was  an  old- 
time  Whig.    The  mother  died  in  1886. 

George  G.  Sidles  obtained  a  good  mental 
training  in  the  common  schools  of  his  native 
town,  and  his  early  youth  was  spent  on  his 
father's  farm,  but  when  he  attained  the  age  of 
twenty-one  years  he  started  west.  He  made  his 
first  stop  in  Southern  Iowa,  where  he  was  lo- 
cated for  a  period  of  twelve  years.  Thence  he 
went  to  Northern  Missouri,  where  he  spent  four 
years.  During  these  sixteen  years  he  followed 
farming,  and  while  in  Missouri  he  also  taught 
school.  In  187J  he  left  that  state,  and  upon 
reaching  Kansas,  he  homesteaded  160  acres  in 
section  18,  Sherman  township,  Sedgwick 
county.  He  has  since  lived  on  that  farm, 
which  he  has  converted  into  fertile  fields, — gen- 
eral farming  constituting  his  main  occupation. 
Mr.  Sidles  is  popular  in  his  conmnmity  and  is 
recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  the 
county.  lie  has  always  been  a  good  neighbor, 
a  friend  to  those  who  know  him  intimately,  and 
a  public  spirited  citizen. 

In  1858  Mr.  Sidles  was  joined  in  marriage 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


453 


with  Nancy  E.  Shields,  a  native  of  Indiana, 
and  a  daughter  of  WilHam  Siiields,  who  was 
justice  of  the  peace  in  Lawrence  county,  in  tliat 
state,  for  many  years.  Tliis  union  resulted  in 
tlie  birth  of  four  chilch-en,  namely:  Julia; 
Raleigh;  Nellie,  and  Orpha.  In  politics,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  has  been  a  lifelong  Re- 
publican, and  in  religious  views  he  has  always 
favored  the  Methodist  church,  to  which  he  has 
contributed  freely. 


7T^  ONRAD  KOHLER  comes  from  the  il- 
4  J[       iustrious     Teutonic     race     which     so 

^^  ^  largely  composes  the  population  of 
the  United  States;  being  a  man  of  unlimited 
energy  and  determination, — which  are  also 
qualities  characteristic  of  the  German  people, — 
lie  left  his  native  land  for  the  country  which 
affords  an  opportunity  for  the  poor  man  to  ob- 
tain a  fortune  for  himself.  After  many  years  of 
constant  toil,  he  has  succeeded  in  accumulating 
a  section  of  the  best  farming  land  in  Sedgwick 
county,  Kansas.  He  makes  his  home  on  the 
northeast  quarter  of  section  17,  township  28, 
range  4,  west,  and  is  one  of  the  most  extensive 
and  substantial  farmers  in  this  portion  of  the 
state.  He  was  born  in  Hanover,  Germany, 
in  1850,  and  is  a  son  of  Herman  and  Dorothy 
Kohler. 

Herman  Kohler  always  lived  in  the  old  coun- 
try, where  he  reared  the  following  children, 
all  of  whom  have  since  followed  Conrad's  ex- 
ample in  coming  to  the  United  States :     An 


only  daughter,  now  deceased,  who  was  the 
wife  of  John  Hillman,  a  prominent  and 
wealthy  farmer,  residing  northeast  of  Che- 
ney, Sedgwick  county,  Kansas;  Frederick, 
who  came  to  the  United  States  in  i860,  and 
now  lives  in  California;  John  F.,  who  lives  in 
Chicago,  where  he  is  engaged  in  the  commis- 
sion business;  Herman,  who  lives  at  Chicago 
Heights,  Illinois;  and  Conrad. 

Conrad  Kohler  had  the  advantages  of  good 
German  schools,  which  he  enjoyed  during 
the  greater  part  of  his  youth.  In  1867,  when 
sixteen  years  old,  he  abandoned  his  native 
land  and  came  to  this  country,  alone.  He  at 
once  joined  his  brother  in  Chicago  and  there 
worked  about  seven  years  in  a  sash  and  door 
factory.  Then  he  went  to  St.  Louis,  Missouri, 
where  he  secured  employment  in  a  furniture 
factory;  but  his  lungs  could  not  endure  the 
dust  of  that  establishment  and  he  accordingly 
sought  employment  out  of  doors.  Returning 
to  Cook  county,  Illinois,  he  rented  a  farm, 
which  he  operated  eight  years,  and  at  the  end 
of  that  time  he  decided  to  locate  further  west, 
where  land  was  cheap.  March  11,  1883,  he 
moved  his  family  to  Wichita,  Kansas,  where 
he  at  once  looked  up  his  brother-in-law,  Mr. 
Hillman,  who  had  already  taken  a  claim,  and 
who  now  has  one  of  the  finest  farms  in  the 
county.  Mr.  Kohler  subsequently  purchased 
from  Joseph  B.  Brickhouse  the  east  half  of  the 
east  half  of  section  17,  upon  which  very  sHght 
improvements  had  been  made,  but  which  con- 
tained a  house  12  by  18  feet  in  dimensions,  in 
which  the  family  lived  several  years.  In 
May,    1895,  the  present  fine  two-story  house, 


454 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


24  by  32  feet  in  size,  was  erected.  Its  Dwncr 
has  also  added  a  large,  substantial  Ikuii  and 
several  outbuildings.  His  orchard  consists  of 
about  four  acres  and  yields  an  abundance  of 
fruit.  Mr.  Kohler,  being  a  hard  worker,  soon 
had  his  farm  in  a  good  state  of  cultivation,  and 
invested  his  fast  accumulated  earnings  in  more 
land.  In  1893,  he  bought  the  south  half  of  the 
nurth  half  of  section  21,  township  28,  range 
4,  west,  and  afterward  purchased  the  north 
half  of  the  north  half  of  section  20.  In  1897, 
he  bought  another  quarter  section  and,  includ- 
ing the  land  he  rents,  his  farming  operations 
cover  1,000  acres.  He  not  only  raises  a  very 
large  amount  of  grain  Init  deals  extensively  in 
live  stock,  making  a  specialty  of  Hereford 
cattle  and  Poland-China  swine.  When  the 
Cheney  creamery  was  running,  the  subject 
hereof  was  one  of  its  largest  patrons.  He  is 
a  wide  awake  and  energetic  business  man,  and 
is  well  worthy  of  the  esteem  in  which  he  is  held 
by  his  many  friends. 

Conrad  Kohler  was  married  in  Chicago,  Illi- 
nois, to  Fredericka  Olm,  a  native  of  Germany, 
and  a  daughter  of  Frederick  Olm,  who  located 
in  Chicago  in  1871.  This  union  resulted  in  the 
birth  of  ten  children,  namely :  Fred ;  Herman  ; 
Henry;  John;  Mary;  Conrad,  Jr.;  August; 
Minnie;  Charles;  and  George.  Religiously, 
Mr.  Kohler  is  a  member  of  the  German  Luth- 
eran church,  while  his  children  favor  the  Re- 
formed church.  He  is  a  stanch  Republican  in 
I)olitics,  and  has  served  on  the  school  board 
since  1884.  His  eldest  son,  Fred,  was  elected 
a  township  trustee  when  twenty-two  years  of 
age. 


SC.\K  L.  WINTERS  is  a  prosperous 
farmer  of  Eagle  township,  Sedgwick 
county,  Kansas,  where  he  owns  a  tract 
of  120  acres  of  land  in  section  26.  He  was 
born  in  Stark  county,  Ohio,  January  19,  1848, 
and  is  a  son  of  William  F.  and  Letitia  (Mc- 
Dowell) Winters. 

John  F.  Winters,  the  grandfather  of  Oscar 
L.,  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  but  went  to 
Ohio  when  a  young  man  and  settled  in  Ashland 
county,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  until 
his  death.  He  owned  his  own  farm  and  was  a 
very  prosperous  man.  He  and  his  wife  be- 
came the  parents  of  two  children,  John  and  Wil- 
liam F.  In  religious  belief,' the  family  were 
Presbyterians.  John  F.  W'inters  died  in  1850, 
his  wife  having  passed  away  in  1848.  Polit- 
ically the  former  was  a  stanch  supporter  of  the 
Whig  party. 

^\'illiam  F.  Winters  was  schooled  in  Stark 
county,  Ohio,  and  after  becoming  of  age  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  his  native  county  until 
1856.  He  then  moved  with  his  family  to  La 
Salle  county,  Illinois,  where  he  followed  the 
same  occupation  up  to  the  time  of  the  Civil 
W'ar,  during  which  he  enlisted  in  the  164th 
Reg.,  111.  Vol.  Inf.  He  joined  the  army  in  1862 
or  1863,  and  served  until  the  end  of  the  con- 
test. He  then  returned  to  Illinois,  where  he 
resided  until  1872,  and  then  moved  to  Kansas, 
where  he  died,  in  October,  1882,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-four  years.  He  and  his  wife  were  the 
I^arents  of  seven  children,  all  of  whom  are  now 
living,  namely :  Mary  S. ;  Oscar  L. ;  Saman- 
tha  D. ;  James  C. ;  Ada  M. ;  John  W. ;  and  Mag- 
gie B.     In  religious  belief  William  F.  Winters 


NFW  YORK 

'PUBLIC  library! 

,  Astor.  Lenox  and  TUde 
Foundations, 


« 


T.  J.  MENEKEE. 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


457 


adhered  to  the  old  scliool  Presl)yterian  faith. 
Mrs.  Winters  ched  August  29,  1899. 

Oscar  L.  Winters  left  home  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one  years  and  came  to  Kansas  in  1869, 
homesteading  his  present  farm  in  Sedgwick 
county.  He  has  since  devoted  his  attention  to 
general  farming  and  stock  raising,  and  has 
been  quite  successful.  He  is  a  very  industrious 
and  enterprising  man,  takes  an  interest  in  all 
that  concerns  the  welfare  of  the  county,  and 
stands  high  in  the  esteem  of  his  fellow  citizens. 

Mr.  Winters  was  united  in  marriage  April 
22,  1877,  with  Jane  Richardson,  of  La  Salle 
county,  Illinois,  and  they  became  parents  of 
three  children:  Arthur  L.,  deceased;  Earl  J., 
and  one  who  died  in  infancy.  Religiously,  Mrs. 
Winters  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church. 


J.  MENEFEE,  whose  portrait  is 
I  herewith  shown,  has  resided  within 
the  boundaries  of  Sedgwick  county, 
Kansas,  since  May  5,  1871,  and  is  recognized 
as  one  of  its  leading  and  most  prosperous 
farmers.  He  was  born  February  21,  1834,  and 
is  a  son  of  Philip  and  Catherine  B.  (Pendle- 
ton) Menefee. 

Philip  Menefee  was  born  in  Virginia,  Octo- 
ber 8,  1803,  and  his  death  occurred  April  9, 
1876.  His  wife,  who  was  also  a  native  of 
Virginia,  died  August  29,  1871.  Philip  Men- 
efee located  in  Iowa,  in  1855,  and  throughout 
his  entire  life  carried  on  farming  and  milling. 
His  union  with  Catherine  B.  Pendleton  re- 
sulted in  the  birth  of  the  following  children: 


William  A.,  born  January  21,  1830,  who  is  a 
rancher  in  the  southwestern  part  of  Colorado; 
Tabitha  J.,  born  January  31,  1832,  who  lives 
in  Nebraska;  T.  J.;  Robert  E.,  born  Decem- 
ber 27,  1835,  who  died  in  Virginia  at  an  early 
age;  Anna  Eliza,  born  December  16,  1839, 
who  died  in  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa;  Mary  Ellen, 
who  was  born  Fel^ruary  20,  1840;  Matilda  J., 
who  was  born  December  29,  1841 ;  Philip  R., 
who  was  born  March  18,  1844,  and  is  a 
farmer  at  Mount  Pleasant,  Iowa;  Lucy  Vir- 
ginia, who  was  born  June  29,  1846;  Sarah 
Catherine,  who  was  born  June  4,  1849,  and 
now  lives  in  Washington;  and  Charles  N., 
who  was  born  April  29,  1852. 

T.  J.  Menefee  attended  the  public  schools 
of  his  native  town  in  Virginia,  and  at  the 
age  of  nineteen  years  "left  home.  In  the  fall 
of  1853,  he  located  in  Mount  Pleasant,  Iowa, 
Vvdiere  he  worked  as  a  butcher  for  three  years. 
April  I,  i860,  in  company  with  80  others,  he 
drove  across  the  plains  to  Washington,  the 
journey  consuming  four  months  and  twenty- 
one  days.  In  Walla  Walla  count}-,  he  took  up 
a  large  tract  of  land,  upon  which  he  was  en- 
gaged in  farming  for  six  and  a  half  years. 
Returning  to  Henry  county,  Iowa,  he  bought 
a  piece  of  land  and  again  pursued  his  vocation 
as  a  farmer.  On  May  5,  1871,  he  located  in 
Sedgwick  county,  Kansas,  taking  up  a  raw 
piece  of  prairie,  comprising  the  northeast 
quarter  of  section  35,  township  27,  range  i, 
west.  As  the  country  was  all  new,  it  required 
the  most  arduous  labor  to  bring  it  to  its  present 
state  of  cultivation  and  only  men  possessing 
such  energy  and  determination  as  Mr.  Men- 


458 


filOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


efee  manifested,  could  liave  succeeded  in  de- 
veloping the  land  into  its  present  productive 
condition.  He  has  lahored  hard  and  con- 
stantly, and  is  recognized  by  all  as  a  good 
farmer,  neighbor  and  citizen.  He  has  many 
friends  throughout  Sedgwick  county. 

At  Mount  Pleasant,  Iowa,  on  March  14, 
1867,  T.  J.  Menefee  married  Minerva  Farmer, 
of  Henry  county,  Iowa,  a  daughter  of  Lewis 
and  Xancy  (Wilbur)  Farmer.  Mrs.  Men- 
efee was  born  September  4,  1844.  Her 
parents  were  natives  of  Kentucky,  but  were 
pioneer  settlers  of  Henry  county,  Iowa,  where 
both  passed  their  latter  days.  The  husband 
died  in  1876,  aged  sixty- four  years,  and  the 
wife  died,  aged  seventy-seven  years,  on  May 
9,  1891.  They  had  the  following  children: 
Elizabeth,  who  died  March  16,  1899;  Ben- 
jamin, deceased;  Nancy  Ellen;  Minerva; 
Sarali  Ann;  Lewis;  and  Saphronia,  of  Mount 
Pleasant,  Iowa.  The  children  of  T.  J.  Men- 
efee and  his  wife  are  as  follows :  Charles  E. ; 
Orin ;  Lewis  \V. ;  Smith  ;  and  .Mliert.  Charles 
E.,  who  was  born  in  Iowa,  February  25,  1868, 
is  a  farmer  in  Delano  township,  and  was 
joined  in  marriage  with  Catherine  Neal,  by 
wliom  he  has  three  children.  Pearl,  Neal  and 
Everett.  Olin,  who  was  born  December  8. 
1869,  is  a  farmer  in  Waco  township,  and 
wedded  Callie  Harmon,  by  whom  he  has  three 
children.— Ethel.  Sylnira  and  Elsie.  Lewis  W., 
who  was  born  March  30,  1873,  is  also  a  farmer, 
and  married  Miss  Lowry,  by  whom  he  has 
a  child, — Fay;  she  died  October  13,  1900. 
Smith,  who  was  born  November  27,  1874,  is 
a  wholesale  grocer  in  Wichita.     .Albert  was 


born  November  16,  1884.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  is  an  independent  voter,  and  has  served 
one  year  as  township  treasurer,  as  justice  of 
the  peace,  and  aLso  as  school  director  of  dis- 
trict No.  124,  for  twenty  years.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Central  Christian  church,  of 
Wichita. 


AMUEL  VANDEGRIFT,  a  retired 
fine  farm  in  the  southwest  quarter  of 
farmer  of  Kechi  township,  owns  a 
section  9,  Sedgwick  county,  Kansas,  and  is 
among  the  prominent  residents  of  that  vicinity. 
He  was  born  in  Harrison  county,  West  Vir- 
ginia. August  15,  1833.  and  is  a  son  of  Leonard 
and  Mary  (Ruthersford)  Vandegrift,  natives 
of  Penn.sylvania  and  West  Virginia,  respec- 
tively. 

The  father  was  a  farmer  and  also  a  cooper 
l)y  trade,  growing  up  in  Uniontown,  Pennsyl- 
\ania,  whence  he  removed  to  West  Virginia, 
resided  there  several  years,  and  then  located  in 
Ohio.  He  was  a  hunter  of  widespread  faine, 
and  in  those  early  days  enjoyed  much  sport  of 
that  description.  The  next  change  in  location 
was  to  Jackson  county,  Ohio,  in  1839,  then  to 
Meigs  county,  Ohio,  and  later  to  Pike  county, 
Ohio,  where  he  resided  until  184S,  when  he 
went  to  Fulton  coimty,  Illinois,  near  Otto, 
Lewistown  being  the  county  seat.  There  he 
engaged  in  farming  and  cut  down  trees,  ship- 
ping the  lumber.  In  1854  he  located  in  Mercer 
county,  Missouri,  where  he  remained  two  years, 
and  then  removed  to  Pottawatomie  county, 
Kansas,  took  up  land,  and  lived  there  until  his 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


459 


death,  in  1875,  his  wife  surviving  him  until 
1876.  To  them  were  Ijorn  the  following  chil- 
dren:  Philip,  deceased;  Mary  Ann,  deceased; 
Emesey;  Phoebe;  Isabella;  Samuel;  Willis, 
who  died  in  the  army;  Jane;  Evans,  a  farmer 
in  Cherry  county,  Nebraska;  William,  de- 
ceased ;  and  Leonard,  deceased. 

Samuel  Vandegrift  received  but  a  limited 
education  and  lived  at  home  until  he  was 
twenty  years  old,  working  upon  the  farm  and 
floating  logs  down  the  river.  In  1857  he  went 
to  the  northern  part  of  Texas,  and  was  there 
engaged  in  farming  for  two  years  near  Bon- 
ham.  In  January,  i860,  he  took  up  land  in  the 
vicinity  of  Manhattan,  Kansas,  built  on  his 
claim  a  log  house,  farmed,  and  shot  wild  game, 
and  during  this  time  paid  a  short  visit  to  Ful- 
ton county,  Illinois.  After  the  war,  Mr.  Van- 
degrift resided  in  Pottawatomie  county,  Kan- 
sas, until  1869,  when  he  went  to  Osage  county, 
Kansas,  to  look  after  land.  There  he  remained 
for  a  year,  when  he  moved  to  Kechi  township, 
Sedgwick  county,  and  took  up  land  on  the 
southwest  quarter  of  section  33,  on  which  he 
settled  in  1870,  building  a  small  house  and 
lireaking  60  acres.  Later  he  erected  a  frame 
house  and  resided  there  until  1872.  In  1874 
he  traded  the  property  for  a  fine  80-acre  farm 
in  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  20,  Kechi 
township,  and  22  head  of  two  and  four  year  old 
steers.  In  1872  Mr.  Vandegrift  moved  onto 
the  southwest  quarter  of  section  9  and  erected 
a  house,  14  by  16  feet,  which  he  occupied  until 
1896.  This  property  he  greatly  improved, — 
setting  out  300  apple  frees,  good  hedges,  etc.  In 
1875  he  bought  80  acres,  the  west  half  of  the 


southeast  quarter  of  section  9,  and  in  1882  80 
acres,  consisting  of  the  east  half  of  the  south- 
east ([uarter  of  section  9.  In  1883  he  purchased 
the  nortliwest  quarter  of  section  16,  in  Kechi 
township,  and  in  1884  bought  the  east  half  of 
the  northwest  quarter  of  section  17.  His  crops 
have  been  good,  and  he  has  also  been  an  exten- 
sive breeder  of  horses,  cattle  and  hogs.  In 
18S8  Mr.  Vandegrift  sold  his  property  in  this 
county  and  went  to  Pierce  county,  Washington, 
purchased  land  and  engaged  in  farming.  On 
account  of  the  failure  of  the  purchaser  of  his 
Kansas  land  to  pay  therefor,  he  was  obliged  to 
take  it  back.  He  still  owns  the  land,  which  is 
accounted  among  the  finest  farming  and  stock 
raising  properties  in  the  state. 

In  the  fall  of  1862  Mr.  Vandegrift  enlisted 
in  company  G,  nth  Reg.,  Kansas  Vol.  Inf., 
with  Captain  Adams  and  Colonel  Ewing,  and 
participated  in  numerous  battles,  including 
Prairie  Grove,  Mine  Creek  and  Kane  Hill,  and 
also  did  guard  duty  at  Leavenworth,  Kansas. 
After  faithful  service,  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged, May  15,  1865.  Although  not  wound- 
ed, Mr.  Vandegrift  feels  some  of  the  effects  of 
the  exposure  and  hardships  as  do  all  old  sol- 
diers,— and  he  deserves  much  credit  for  his 
bravery  in  defense  of  his  country  and  flag. 

In  1858  Mr.  Vandegrift  was  married  to 
Mary  Cookston,  of  Texas,  daughter  of  John 
and  Belinda  Cookston,  of  Illinois.  To  this 
union  have  been  born  the  following  children : 
Calloway,  who  resides  in  \\'ashington ;  Clara, 
who  died  young;  Rosa,  deceased,  who  married 
Lewis  Moss,  and  had  two  children, — Percy,  de- 
ceased,  and   Herman;   Laura,   wife  of  Lewis 


460 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


Ocker,  a  stock  dealer  and  farmer  of  Kechi 
townsliip;  Ida,  wife  of  J.  N.  Brown,  a  farmer 
of  Keclii  township;  Minnie,  wife  of  Charles 
Farow,  a  farmer  of  Keclii  township;  Albert,  on 
the  M.,  K.  &  T.  road;  Ellsworth,  killed  in  1890 
by  the  falling  of  a  tree  in  Washington;  Her- 
man, a  blacksmith  on  the  M.,  K.  &  T.  road 
at  Parsons,  Kansas,  who  married  Mary  Good- 
win, and  has  three  children, — Viola,  Pearl  and 
Edith ;  and  Ira  and  William,  at  home. 

Samuel  Vandegrift  has  always  been  a  standi 
Republican,  and  while  not  an  office  seeker  has 
served  most  acceptably  on  the  school  board  for 
a  number  of  years.  Although  retired  from 
active  business  life  since  1891,  Mr.  Vandegrift 
still  takes  a  deep  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the 
township,  and  enjoys  the  esteem  and  confidence 
of  a  wide  circle  of  friends,  who  appreciate  his 
many  admirable  qualities  and  recognize  the 
ability  which  enabled  him  to  make  so  much  of 
himself,  with  so  few  advantages. 


I EVI  W.  ROACH,  the  popular  postmaster 
at  lowaville,  SedgAvick  county.  Kansas, 
living  on  the  southeast  quarter  of 
section  i ,  township  28,  range  2,  east,  was  born 
in  1840,  in  Wilson  county,  Tennessee,  in  sight 
of  the  "Hermitage,"  and  is  a  son  of  A.  F.  and 
Margaret  (Alexander)  Roach. 

A.  F.  Roach  came  to  Sedgwick  county,  Kan- 
sas, in  1879,  bought  a  quarter  section  of  land 
south  of  Levi  W.'s  farm,  where  he  died.  The 
following  children  were  born  to  himself  and 
wife:     Levi  W. ;  John,  who  died  at  Wichita; 


James,  a  ranchman  in  Oregon;  J.  A.,  a  farmer, 
of  Gypsum  township;  H.  B.,  a  traveling  man, 
living  in  Illinois,  married  and  having  two  chil- 
dren; and  Emma  (Melvin),  of  Harper  county, 
Kansas. 

When  eight  years  of  age  Levi  W.  was  taken 
by  his  parents  to  Schuyler  county,  Illinois, 
where  he  worked  on  his  father's  farm  until 
1 861,  w^hen,  fired  with  patriotism,  he  enlisted, 
being  a  comrade  of  B.  A.  Baker,  in  the  loth 
Reg.,  Mo.  Vol.  Inf.,  where  he  served  some 
time.  He  then  entered  the  navy  and  remained 
till  the  close  of  the  war,  participating  in  sev- 
eral important  military  movements,  including 
the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  the  Red  River  cam- 
paign, etc.,  and  other  engagements  on  the  Mis- 
sissippi River.  During  the  war,  although  a 
brave  soldier  and  always  at  the  post  of  duty, 
he  was  never  seriously  wounded. 

Returning  from  the  war,  Mr.  Roach  pur- 
chased land  in  Schuyler  county,  Illinois.  There 
he  remained  fourteen  years,  and  then  removed 
to  Sedgwick  county,  Kansas,  and  purchased 
his  present  farm  from  William  Cunimings. 
Although  some  improvements  had  been  made, 
Mr.  Roach  lias  added  greatly  to  the  value  of 
the  property.  His  beautiful  home  has  been 
improved  until  it  contains  every  modern  con- 
venience, including  a  bathroom,  and  hot  and 
cold  water  supplied  bj*  a  force  pump,  which 
system  also  affords  protection  from  fire.  His 
substantial  barn  and  neat  outbuildings  are  all 
in  the  finest  order,  and  the  entire  establishment 
shows  that  a  master  hand  holds  the  reins.  His 
fine  five-acre  orchard  is  bearing  well,  and  the 
stock   is   in   excellent  condition.     Mr.    Roach 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


461 


raises  Poland-China  hogs  and  Holstein  cattle. 
-  In  1895,  when  a  postoffice  was  established 
at  Iinvaville,  Mr.  Roach  was  made  postmaster, 
and  through  his  able  management  six  deliver- 
ies have  been  secured  each  week,  instead  of 
three,  as  was  the  original  arrangement.  About 
65  families,  a  number  of  unmarried  people 
and  transient  visitors  patronize  the  ofhce;  its 
business  is  constantly  increasing  and  it  is  now 
ranked  among  the  money  order  offices.  In 
connection  with  the  postoffice,  Mr.  Roach  car- 
ries a  full  stock  of  staple  groceries,  drugs  and 
ammunition,  for  the  accommodation  of  the 
farmers. 

In  the  fall  of  1865,  Mr.  Roach  was  married 
to  Margaret  S.  Burmood,  a  daughter  of  George, 
Burmood,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Illinois. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Roach  have  had  seven  children, 
as  follows :  Leona ;  J.  O. ;  Almeda ;  Alberta ; 
George;  Myrtle,   and   Maude. 

J.  O.  resides  on  his  grandfather's  farm,  is 
a  separator  expert  and  salesman,  and  expects 
to  go  upon  the  road  as  a  salesman  and  machine 
man,  being  the  best  in  the  county.  Almeda  is 
a  widow  and  keeps  house  for  her  brother,  J. 
O.  Alberta  (Hensley)  resides  in  Gypsum 
township,  and  has  two  children.  George,  who 
is  married,  is  engaged  in  farming. 
^  Fraternally,  Mr.  Roach  is  a  member  of  the 
G.  W.  Harrison  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Andover, 
Kansas,  in  which  he  takes  an  active  interest. 
Religiously,  he  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E. 
church,  and  contributes  very  liberally  to  its 
support.  Genial,  accommodating  and  capable, 
Mr.  Roach  has  mafle  himself  very  popular 
throughout    the    county.     Mrs.     Roach    is    a 


charming  lady,  on  whose  account  the  removal 
to  Kansas  was  made,  her  health  having  been 
very  poor  prior  to  that  time.  She  is  now  en- 
tirely recovered.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Roach  are 
very  hospitable,  and  their  beautiful  home  is  a 
delightful  place  to  visit,  as  few  people  appear 
to  better  advantage  as  host  and  hostess.  No 
record  of  Sedgwick  county  would  be  complete 
without  particular  mention  of  these  two,  who 
have  done  so  much  to  advance  the  material 
welfare  of  the  community  in  which  they  reside. 
In  political  matters,  Mr.  Roach  is  a  stanch 
Republican,  and  upholds  the  principles  of  his 
party  upon  all  occasions. 


ACOB  H.  BROWN  is  numbered  among 
the  prominent  and  highly  esteemed  citi- 
zens of  Wichita,  which  he  has  been 
largely  instrumental  in  upbuilding  and  in  pro- 
moting its  material  advancement.  After  a 
long  and  laborious  life,  Mr.  Brown  is  now  en- 
joying the  well  earned  fruits  of  his  industry  in 
retirement  from  active  business  pursuits.  On 
March  17,  1830,  Mr.  Brown  was  born  at  Lewis- 
burg,  Union  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  is  a 
son  of  IMichael  and  Mary  (Foolmer)  Brown. 
Michael  Brown  was  a  farmer  by  occupation, 
and  also  helped  to  build  the  Northern  Cen- 
tral Railway,  the  first  railroad  in  that  county. 
He  was  prominent  in  his  community,  served  as 
county  commissioner,  and  was  considered  a 
first  rate  business  man. 

Profiting  by  the  example  set  him,  Jacob  H. 
Brown  grew  to  young  manhood,  attending  the 


462 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


public  scliools  of  his  neighborhood,  and  the 
Lewisburg  University  (now  Buckinan),  up  to 
his  sophomore  year.  His  first  business  venture 
was  in  a  mercantile  line  at  Lewisburg.  Subse- 
quently be  became  connected  with  the  wholesale 
house  of  M.  M.  Marple  &  Co.,  dealers  in  no- 
tions, of  Philadelphia,  and  continued  with,  that 
firm  until  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War.  At 
the  close  of  that  great  struggle,  Mr.  Brown  re- 
turned to  Lewisburg  and  engaged  again  in  mer- 
cantile pursuits  until  1877,  when  he  disposed  of 
his  business  interests  and  went  to  Kansas  on  a 
visit.  So  much  pleased  was  he  with  Sedgwick 
county  that  he  purchased  160  acres  in  section 
26,  township  27,  range  i,  east.  The  land  was 
unbroken  prairie,  but  Mr.  Brown  brought  it 
into  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  erected  substan- 
tial buildings,  planted  fine  fruit  and  shade  trees, 
some  of  which  are  now  two  feet  in  diameter, 
•and  was  very  successful.  During  the  boom  of 
1886  and  1887  Mr.  Brown  laid  out  the  Brown 
subdivision,  known  as  College  Hill,  making 
fine  improvements,  planting  trees,  grading  the 
streets,  etc.  In  1897  he  sold  all  of  his  property 
at  College  Hill,  purchased  a  fine  place  on  Water 
street,  and  retired  from  business  life. 

During  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  Mr. 
Brown  made  a  record  of  which  he  may  well  be 
proud.  He  enlisted  in  Company  F,  28th  Reg., 
Pa.  Vol.  Inf.,  for  tliree  months,  and  at  the  ex- 
piration of  that  period  reenlisted  in  the  202nd 
Reg.,  Pa.  Vol.  Inf.  He  was  promoted  to  be  a 
first  lieutenant,  and,  August  24,  1865,  was 
made  adjutant  of  the  regiment;  he  was  mus- 
tered out  August  3,  1865. 

Mr.  Brown  married  Mary  A.  Hilbish,  daugh- 


ter of  Colonel  Jacob  and  Hannah  (Kerlan) 
Hilbish,  of  Union  county,  Pennsylvania.  She 
was  educated  at  the  Baptist  Female  Seminary 
at  Lewisburg,  Pennsylvania.  Her  father  was  a 
farmer  by  occupation,  and  a  colonel  in  the  state 
militia.  Five  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Brown,  as  follows :  Edwin  F.,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  six  months;  Addie,  a  very  charm- 
ing young  lady,  who  died  in  1900  at  the  age  of 
twenty-four  years;  Edward,  a  printer  and 
farmer,  who  married  Lucy  Winpigler,  and  died 
when  forty-one  years  old;  Emma  J.,  who  mar- 
ried Percy  Longlands,  of  St.  Louis,  and  has 
four  children, — Ethel,  Edith,  Reginald  and 
Louis  B. ;  and  Anna  M.,  who  married  J.  E. 
Shinn,  of  Millerton,  and  has  four  children, — 
Theodore  B.,  Bessie  V.,  J.  Ernest  and  Susie  M. 
Mr.  Brown  has  served  most  acceptably  as 
justice  of  the  peace  and  notary  public,  and  was 
deputy  sheriff  while  a  resident  of  Lewisburg. 
He  was  also  one  of  the  founders  of  Wichita 
University,  contributing  $1,500  thereto.  He 
subsequently  gave  $1,000  to  the  endowment 
fund  and  $250  toward  beautifying  the  grounds. 
Mr.  Brown  was  also  the  founder  of  the  Re- 
formed church,  now  known  as  the  Brown  Me- 
morial church,  in  behalf  of  the  building  fund  of 
which  he  donated  $300  and  has  since  been  a 
large  yearly  subscriber.  In  the  stately  church 
edifice  is  a  beautiful  memorial  window  contrib- 
uted by  Mr.  Brown  in  memory  of  his  deceased 
daughter.  Socially,  Mr.  Brown  is  an  dttive 
member  of  Charity  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  having 
served  as  past  master  in  the  lodge  at  Lewisburg, 
Pennsylvania.,  and  holds  a  membership  in  the 
I.  O.  O.  F..  in  which  he  served  as  past  grand 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


463 


and  past  cliief  patriot  at  Lewisburg,  Pennsyl- 
vania. In  every  relation  of  life,  Mr.  Brown  is 
an  honor  to  the  community  in  which  he  resides. 
Honorable,  public  spirited  and  genial,  he  has 
endeared  himself  to  a  host  of  friends,  and  is 
justly  regarded  as  one  of  the  solid  men,  as  well 
as  one  of  the  most  prominent  citizens  in  Wich- 
ita. 


IG:. 


ILLIAM  H.  DWIGHT,  M.  D.,  a 
gentleman  wlio  has  a  thorough  mas- 
tery of  the  medical  profession,  has 
been  engaged  in  practice  with  grand  success  at 
Mount  Hope,  Greeley  township,  Sedgwick 
county,  Kansas,  for  many  years.  He  was  born 
October  28,  1852,  in  Onondaga,  Ingham 
county,  Michigan,  and  is  a  son  of  Harrison 
and  Harriet  M.  (Congdon)  Dwight,  both  na- 
tives of  New  York  State. 

Horace  Dwight,  grandfather  of  our  subject, 
was  born  in  Lenox,  Massachusetts,  and  was 
but  a  small  boy  when  his  father  settled  in 
Cincinnatus,  Cortland  county,  New  York. 
There  he  grew  to  manhood  and  followed  the 
occupation  of  a  farmer,  becoming  a  very  pros- 
perous man  and  accumulating  considerable 
property.  He  married  Olive  Meachum,  by 
whom  he  had  10  children,  as  follows:  Min- 
erva; Horace;  Eliza;  Harrison;  Glover  S. ; 
Harriet ;  Sarah  M. ;  Mary  A. ;  John  D. ;  and 
Ray  D.  He  died  September  29,  1872,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-six  years,  and  his  widow  died 
two  years  later  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years. 
He  was  a  Universalist  in  religious  belief. 
Harrison  Dwight,  father  of  the  subject  of 


this  sketch,  was  born  April  26,  181 7,  in  Cin- 
cinnatus, Cortland  county.  New  York,  where 
he  received  his  intellectual  training  in  the  sub- 
scription schools.  After  becoming  of  age,  he 
engaged  in  the  tinware  business  in  Rhode  Is- 
land and  Massachusetts,  selling  his  wares  from 
a  wagon.  Having  accumulated  some  money, 
he  returned  to  his  old  home  at  Cincinnatus, 
N.  Y.,  and  was  married.  After  remaining  at 
home  a  short  time,  he  removed  to  Onondaga, 
Ingham  county,  Michigan.  Two  years  later 
he  moved  to  Jackson  county,  Michigan,  where 
he  purchased  320  acres  of  new  land,  on  which 
he  lived  until  1864,  when  he  sold  his  property. 
He  again  returned  to  New  York  State,  where 
he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  dying  March 
17,  1875.  His  union  with  Harriet  M.  Cong- 
don was  blessed  by  the  birth  of  one  son,  Wil- 
liam H.,  the  gentleman  whose  name  heads  this 
biographical  record. 

William  H.  Dwight  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  Michigan  and  New  York 
State,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty  years  took  up 
the  study  of  medicine  under  his  second  cousin. 
Dr.  Thomas  Dwight,  of  Preston,  New  York. 
He  continued  thus  until  the  fall  of  1S73,  when 
he  entered  the  medical  department  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Syracuse  at  Syracuse,  New  York, 
where  he  took  a  three  years'  course  of  study. 
He  was  graduated  with  honors  in  1876,  and 
his  first  field  of  practice  was  Eaton,  New  York. 
He  remained  there  but  one  year,  as  the  place 
was  not  to  his  liking,  and  removed  to  Beaver 
Meadow,  Chenango  county,  New  York,  where 
he  remained  until  1879.  As  the  West  seemed 
to  offer  better  inducements  for  his  profession. 


464 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


he  left  New  York  State  and  located  in  Kan- 
sas. He  settled  where  Mount  Hope  now  is, 
the  locality  then  beinsr  almost  a  wilderness 
save  for  the  scattered  farm  iiouses.  However, 
a  great  influx  of  people  came  and  his  practice 
grew  witli  the  populatinn,  and  he  is  now  widely 
known  in  the  county.  He  enjoys  the  patro- 
nage of  the  best  citizens  of  his  community, 
to  whom  he  is  more  than  a  mere  medical  ad- 
visor, even  a  warm  friend. 

Dr.  Dwight  was  united  in  marriage  Sep- 
tember 22,  1875,  with  Frances  A.  Graves,  a 
daughter  of  Webster  and  Betsy  (Marsh) 
Graves,  of  Norwich,  New  York,  and  they  have 
one  daughter,  Lottie  B.  The  latter  married 
Robert  Cole,  a  grain  and  stock  dealer  of  Mount 
Hope,  and  they  have  three  children :  R. 
Dwight,  G.  Gordon,  and  Hattie  Nicholson.  Dr. 
Dwight  is  prominent  in  fraternal  circles,  be- 
longing to  the  following  orders:  Select 
Knights;  Second  Division,  Uniformed  Rank 
K.  of  P.  {Tasmania  Lodge,  No.- 120,  K.  of  P. ; 
Haven  Camp,  No.  1351,  M.  W.  of  A.;  Mount 
Hope  Lodge,  No.  230,  L  O.  O.  F. ;  Mount 
Hope  Lodge,  No.  244,  A.  O.  U.  W. ;  Friend- 
ship Lodge,  No.  208,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. ;  and 
Reno  Chapter,  No.  34,  R.  A.  M. 


/g^EORGE  L.  BLOOD  is  engaged  in 
\  ST  f'"^'"'"''''?  on  a  large  scale,  having  440 
acres  of  land  under  cultivation,  al- 
though he  is  the  owner  of  but  200  acres. 
Throughout  Sedgwick  county  he  enjoys  the 
reputation  of  being  a  progressive  farmer  and 


public  spirited  citizen.  He  was  born  in  Peoria 
county,  Illinois,  January  17,  1857,  and  is  a  son 
of  Gillman  L.  Blood,  who  is  also  a  prosperous 
and  enterprising  farmer  of  Waco  township, 
Sedgwick  county. 

George  L.  Blood  remained  under  the  i)arental 
roof  until  he  attained  the  age  of  twenty-nine 
years,  during  which  period  he  assisted  his  father 
in  operating  the  farm.  At  that  age  he  engaged 
in  farming  on  his  own  accttunt,  and  accordingly 
purchased  80  acres  in  Waco  township,  consist- 
ing of  the  south  half  of  the  southeast  quarter 
of  section  33.  Li  1890  he  bought  40  acres,  the 
southeast  quarter  of  the  southeast  quarter  of 
section  28,  and,  as  his  efforts  were  successful, 
continued  to  invest  his  earnings  in  adjoining 
property.  In  1895  he  was  able  to  purchase 
more  land,  and  added  to  his  ownership  80  acres 
of  section  33,  consisting  of  the  north  half  of  the 
northeast  quarter.  He  has  made  many  im- 
pro\-ements  upon  his  land,  which  now  ranks 
among  the  best  farms  in  the  county;  besides 
raising  considerable  grain  and  cattle,  he  gives 
a  great  deal  of  altcntiun  to  the  culti\-ation  of 
small  fruits.  He  is  a  very  successful  farmer 
and  is  one  of  the  most  progressive  and  enter- 
prising in  Sedgwick  county. 

George  L.  Blood  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Emma  Dunkin,  the  nu[:)tials  occurring  January 
25,  1887.  She  was  born  in  Cass  county,  In- 
diana, January  7,  1S65,  and  is  a  daughter  of 
Benjamin  and  Jane  ( Rhine)  Dunkin,  tlie 
former  a  native  of  Indiana,  and  the  latter  a 
native  of  Ohio.  Mr.  Dunkin  was,  for  many 
years,  a  farmer  in  Indiana,  where  he  flied  in 
Cass  county,  August  12,  1895.    Mrs.  Blood  has 


HENRY  W.  HUTTiMAN. 


SEDG^VICK  COUNTY 


467 


the  following  brothers  and  sisters  :  Sylvanus ; 
William ;  Elizabeth ;  Ella ;  Rebecca ;  Frank ;  and 
Ida.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Blood  are  the  parents  of 
three  children :  Bessie  Blanche,  who  was  Iwrn 
May  22,  1888;  Ethel  Marie,  who  was  born  No- 
vember 14,  1890;  and  Harold  Duiikin,  who  was 
born  Jannary  26,  1894.  Politically,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  is  a  Republican,  and  has 
served  as  township  clerk  for  several  terms,  and 
several  terms  on  the  school  board.  He  is  a 
member  of  Wichita  Lodge  No.  271,  A.  O. 
U.  W. 


p^yENRY  W.  HUTTMANN,  a  gentleman 
of  an  experience  in  the  business  world 
far  beyond  his  years,  whose  portrait 
is  shown  herewith,  is  assistant  prosecuting  at- 
torney of  Sedgwick  county  and  a  well  known 
lawyer  of  Wichita,  Kansas.  He  was  born  at 
Milwaukee,  Wisconsin,  May  23,  1872,  and  is  a 
son  of  Col.  William  E.  and  Cacilia  (Erpelding) 
Huttmann. 

William  Henry  Huttmann,  the  grandfather 
of  our  subject,  served  as  a  judge  of  the  superior 
court  of  Magdeburg,  Saxony,  Germany.  Dur- 
ing the  rex'olution  of  1848  he  came  to  America 
with  his  family  and  located  at  Wilmington, 
Delaware.  He  resided  there  but  a  short  time, 
when  he  moved  to  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin, 
where  he  lived  in  retirement  until  his  death. 
Col.  William  E.  Huttmann  was  born  at  Magde- 
burg, Saxony,  in  1841,  and  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  America.  He  became  a  manufacturer 
of  mathematical,  scientific  and  engineering  in- 
struments in  Milwaukee,  but  owing  to  ill  health 
he  gave  up  that  line  of  business  in  the  spring 


of  1877,  selling  his  plant.  He  moved  to  Ellin- 
wood,  Kansas,  where  he  eventually  went  into 
the  hardware  business.  After  a  few  years  he 
sold  out,  then  bought  a  farm  and  conducted  it 
one  and  a  half  years.  In  1884  he  was  Demo- 
cratic candidate  for  state  treasurer,  but  the 
ticket  was  defeated.  In  1886  he  was  appointed 
postmaster  of  Ellinwood  under  Cleveland's  first 
administration  and  held  that  office  four  years. 
Then  with  his  son  he  established  a  weekly  pa- 
per, the  Ellinwood  Aih'ocafc,  which  he  sold  in 
1890,  it  being  then  consolidated  with  the  Ellin- 
wood Leader,  with  J.  W.  Cook  as  proprietor. 
Colonel  Huttmann  and  his  son,  our  subject, 
then  moved  to  Wichita,  where  they  established 
the  Kansas  Star,  a  weekly  paper,  which  tlicy 
conducted  with  success  for  several  years,  work- 
ing up  a  circulation  of  6,000.  He  then  entered 
the  fire  insurance  business,  representing  eight 
different  companies,  and  in  1893  was  appointed 
United  States  revenue  collector.  After  holding 
that  office  for  four  years  he  retired  for  the  rest 
of  his  life,  dying  February  28,  1900.  He  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Cacilia  Erpelding,  by 
whom  he  had  two  children,  Henry  W.  and 
Fritz  N.  The  latter  was  bom  May  17,  1878, 
an<.l  is  a  tenor  singer  of  note,  at  present  with  the 
Andrews  Opera  Company.  Mr.  Huttmann  was 
a  thirty-second  degree  Mason,  a  member  of  the 
Order  of  the  Eastern  Star  and  of  the  Sons  of 
Herman. 

Henry  W.  Huttmann  attended  school  in  Mil- 
waukee, and  took  a  four  years'  course  of  study 
in  Fairmount  College,  in  Wichita,  Kansas., 
graduating  in  1898.  In  1891,  after  serving  in 
connection  with  his  father  on  two  papers,  he 
became  city  editor  of  the  Wichita  Daily  Eagle 


468 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


and  served  for  two  years,  lie  then  began  the 
study  of  law  with  (lov.  \V.  E.  Stanley  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1S05.  Imt  nii  accmint  of 
taking  a  collegiate  course  of  study  he  <lid  not 
practice  until  1897.  lie  was  then  associated 
with  J.  D.  Houston,  hut  hitcr  entered  into  a 
partnership  with  1-Mward  Eliidtt  llarxcy  under 
the  lirni  name  of  I  luttniann  &  Harvey.  This 
partnership  was  dissolved  on  January  1.  1901. 
Mr.  Huttman  has  a  good  general  practice  and 
makes  a  si)ecialty  of  title  and  jjrobate  law. 

Mr.  Huttmann  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Clara  Gehring,  a  daughter  of  Goddard  Gehring, 
a  well  known  druggist  of  the  city.  Politically 
he  is  a  strong  Democrat,  and  in  1898  was  a  can- 
didate for  the  legislature  from  the  city  district. 
He  served  four  years  as  deinity  United  States 
revenue  collector  under  his  father,  and  on  Janu- 
ary 14,  1901,  was  appointed  assistant  county 
attorney  of  his  county.  He  is  a  thirty-second 
degree  Mason;  also  belongs  to  the  Ladies' 
Auxiliary  of  the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star,  a 
member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  Sons  of 
Herman,  Ancient  Order  of  I'nited  Workmen, 
and  De.gree  of  Plonor.  Mr.  I  luttmann  has 
various  accomplishments  and  is  rated  as  a  pian- 
ist and  musician  of  exceptional  ability. 


ACOB  H.  RHOADS  is  one  of  the  prom- 
inent business  men  of  Goddard,  Kansas, 
and  in  addition  to  conducting  a  drug 
store  akso  serves  as  postmaster  of  the  village. 
This  position  he  has  held  since  1897,  and  its 
duties  are  fulfilled  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of 
the  public.  He  was  born  in  Macoupin  county, 
Illinois,  September  29,  1843.  a"d  is  a  son  of 


Charles  and  Ella  (Cawood)  Rhoads, — the 
former  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  the  latter  of 
Tennessee.  Charles  Rhoads  died  in  Illinois  in 
1880,  at  the  age  of  sixty  years,  and  his  widow 
died  in  1896.  They  were  the  parents  of  the 
following  children  :  Jacob  H. ;  Margaret,  de- 
ceased; Carrie  L.,  who  is  the  wife  of  P.  G. 
Rickard ;  Anna  A.,  who  died,  aged  sixteen 
years;  Edward  C,  who  is  an  attorney  at  East 
St.  Louis,  Illinois;  and  Hettie,  who  is  the  wife 
of  Charles  Jolly. 

Jacob  Rhoads  has  undergone  a  good  mental 
training,  having  attended  the  public  schools  of 
his  native  town ;  but  the  most  practical  part  of 
his  instruction  has  been  received  through  actual 
business  experience.  At  the  age  of  seventeen 
years  he  answered  the  first  call  to  arms  by  Pres- 
ident Lincoln,  and  served  three  years  and  two 
months  in  Company  H,  30th  Reg.,  111.  Vol. 
Inf.,  took  part  in  the  battle  at  Fort  Donelson, 
and  the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  and  passed  through 
the  Atlanta  campaign.  He  was  honorably  dis- 
charged at  Chattanooga,  Tennessee.  Return- 
ing home,  he  engaged  in  farming  and,  in  1875, 
located  in  Sedgwick  county,  Kansas,  buying  on 
September  20  of  that  year  a  quarter  of  section 
12,  Afton  township.  This  property  was  pre- 
empted by  his  father  in  1873,  but  Charles 
Rhoads  resided  upon  it  but  a  little  more  than 
a  year.  Jacob  H.  Rhoads  lived  on  the  farm 
until  July,  1897,  when  he  became  postmaster 
of  the  village  of  Goddard.  His  farm  is  in  a 
good  state  of  cultivation, — the  result  of  many 
years  of  hard  labor, — but  at  present  its  owner's 
time  is  mainly  devoted  to  his  business  in  town. 
Mr.  Rhoads  makes  a  genial  and  popular  post- 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


469 


master,  and  is  well  qualified  for  the  position.  In 
his  store  he  carries  a  good  line  of  drugs,  tobacco 
and  cigars,  the  income  from  which  is  satisfac- 
tory. 

Mr.  Rhoads  has  remained  a  stanch  Repub- 
lican, having  cast  his  first  vote  for  Abraham 
Lincoln  in  1864.  In  addition  to  his  present  po- 
sition, he  has  served  his  fellow  citizens  as  jus- 
tice of  the  peace  for  twelve  years,  and  as  a 
member  of  the  school  board.  Fraternally,  he 
belongs  to  the  G.  A.  R.,  Post  No.  352  of  Garden 
Plain;  K.  of  P.,  Lodge  No.  128,  of  Goddard ; 
and  I.  O.  O.  F.,  Lodge  No.  266,  of  Goddard. 


^Y^VpVILTON  BREWER,  a  prominent 
|—  I  —§  farmer  of  Sedgwick  county,  Kansas, 
>«—  owns  a  fine  farm  of  160  acres  of 
land  in  section  15,  Greeley  township.  He  was 
born  September  5,  1847,  in  Grant  county,  In- 
diana, and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Pamelia 
(Davis)  Brewer. 

Stephen  Brewer,  grandfather  of  Milton,  was 
born  in  a  suburb  of  New  York  City,  and  served 
in  the  Revolutionary  War  as  a  teamster.  His 
father,  Stephen  by  name,  was  also  a  soldier  in 
the  Revolutionary  War.  The  wife  of  the  last 
named  died,  and  he  was  obliged  to  take  his  son 
to  war  with  him,  as  he  had  no  place  to  send 
him.  The  son  entered  the  struggle  at  the  age 
of  eleven  years,  and  remained  in  the  service 
until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was  then  en- 
gaged in  boating  on  the  Delaware  River  for 
several  years,  after  which  he  learned  the  trade 
of  a  cooper.     He  moved  to  Fayette  county,  In- 


diana, where  he  plied  his  trade  several  years, 
and  then  located  at  Delaware,  Indiana.  He 
also  worked  at  his  trade  at  Yorktown,  and  the 
last  years  of  his  life  were  spent  with  his  chil- 
dren in  Grant  county,  Indiana.  His  wife  was 
Margaret  Whiteside,  by  whom  he  had  the  fol- 
lowing children:  Louisa;  Lucinda;  John; 
Emily;  Stephen;  and  Aaron.  Both  parents 
were  Baptists  in  religious  belief.  The  mother 
died  in  1899  ^^  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years. 

John  Brewer,  Milton's  father,  was  born  in 
Fayette  county,  Indiana,  and  when  a  3'oung 
man  moved  to  Grant  county  in  the  same  state, 
where  he  was  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers.  He 
there  improved  a  farm,  upon  which  he  lived 
throughout  the. remainder  of  his  life.  He  and 
his  wife  became  parents  of  the  following  chil- 
dren:  Joseph  F. ;  Mary;  Milton;  John  H. ; 
and  Charles  W. 

Milton  Brewer  was  reared  and  schooled  in 
Grant  county,  Indiana,  and  remained  there  un- 
til he  was  thirty-five  years  of  age,  when  he 
moved  to  his  present  farm  in  Greeley  township, 
Sedgwick  county,  Kansas,  in  the  fall  of  1881. 
He  has  since  devoted  his  attention  to  improv- 
ing and  cultivating  his  property,  and  has  met 
with  marked  success  in  his  work. 

Mr.  Brewer  was  united  in  marriage,  March 
23,  1871,  with  Elizabeth  J.  Payne,  a  daughter 
of  William  and  Celia  (Lewis)  Payne,  and  a 
sister  of  Captain  D.  L.  Payne,  widely  known  by 
reason  of  his  connection  with  the  settlement  of 
Oklahoma.  The  following  offspring  resulted 
from  this  union  :  Emma  C,  deceased  ;  William 
D. ;  Mary;  Charles  E.  and  Frank,  deceased, 
who  were  twins ;  L.  May ;  Robert ;  and  Carrie, 


470 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


deceased.  Religiously  the  family  are  members 
of  the  M.  E.  church.  In  politics  Mr.  Brewer 
is  a  Populist,  and  has  served  the  public  in  offi- 
cial capacities. 


"EXRY  C.  LINNEBUR,  a  prosperous 
business  man  of  Goddard,  Kansas,  is 
one  of  the  leading  merchants  of  tliat 
village,  and  deals  in  hardware  and  agricultural 
implements.  He  was  born  in  St.  Charles,  Mis- 
souri, in  December,  1858,  and  is  a  son  of  Frank 
and  Elizabeth  Linnebur,  both  of  whom  are  na- 
tives of  the  northern  part  of  Germany. 

Frank  Linnebur  located  in  St.  Charles,  Mis- 
souri, shortly  after  his  arrival  in  this  country, 
and  tliere  he  was  engaged  in  farming  until 
1888.  In  that  year  he  moved  to  Sedgw-ick 
county,  Kansas,  where  he  located  on  a  farm  in 
Garden  Plain  township.  He  still  resides  there 
and  is  one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  that  com- 
munity. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Frank  Linnebur  are 
the  parents  of  the  following  children :  Anna ; 
Fred ;  Henry  C. ;  Peter ;  Frank ;  John ;  Lizzie ; 
Sophia;  and  Joseph.  All  the  children  received 
a  good  mental  training  in  the  German  and  Eng- 
lish schools. 

When  a  lad  of  twelve  years,  Henry  C.  went 
to  live  Avith  an  uncle,  and  for  the  first  year  con- 
tinued to  attend  school ;  but  the  next  three  years 
he  worked  for  H.  Shaburg  &  Company  at  St. 
Charles,  Missouri.  The  following  three  years 
he  worked  in  a  general  store  for  H.  J.  Fehlig 
&  Company,  of  Portage,  Missouri.  In  1886  he 
located  in  Wichita,  Kansas,  where  he  spent  the 
first  year  in  the  dry  goods  store  conducted  by 


Thomas  Lynch,  and  the  next  year  he  worked 
in  Arkansas  City,  Kansas,  for  the  same  party. 
He  then  applied  himself  to  farming,  in  which 
he  was  very  successful,  renting  for  the  first 
eighteen  months  a  farm  in  Attica  township, 
Sedgwick  county.  He  tiien  located  at  God- 
dard, and  became  connected  with  the  firm  of 
Nolan  Brothers,  who  were  engaged  in  the  hard- 
ware and  implement  business.  In  1896  Mr. 
Linnebur  assumed  entire  charge  of  the  concern. 
He  carries  a  large  line  of  implements,  and  has 
gained  a  good  patronage  throughout  the  com- 
munity. He  is  an  honest  and  upright  business 
man,  always  intent  on  the  prosperity  and  prog- 
ress of  his  adopted  village  and  county,  and  is 
held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  his  fellow  citi- 
zens. 

Mr.  Linnebur  was  united  in  marriage  in 
May,  1896,  to  IMaggie  Seiwert,  of  Garden 
Plain  township,  a  daughter  of  Nicholas  and 
Mary  Seiwert,  who  are  engaged  in  farming  in 
Sedgwick  county.  This  happy  union  has  been 
blessed  by  the  birth  of  two  children, — Aloysius 
N.  and  Ralph  F.  Politically,  Mr.  Linnebur  is 
a  strong  advocate  of  the  principles  of  the  Dem- 
ocratic party,  but  is  not  an  office  seeker.  Re- 
ligiously he  and  his  family  belong  to  the  Cath- 
olic church.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  owns 
an  attractive  home  in  Goddard,  besides  other 
real  estate,  and  is  also  the  owner  of  a  fine  farm 
of  160  acres  in  Afton  township. 


B.   WRIGHT,*   whose  business  career 
has  been  a  varied  one.  has  been  a  com- 
mission broker  of  Wichita,  Kansas, 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


471 


since  1889,  and  has  a  large  and  well  established 
trade.  He  was  born  in  Jefferson,  Ohio,  in 
1844,  and  is  a  son  of  W.  M.  and  Rebecca 
(Groff)  Wright. 

Mr.  Wright  is  one  of  six  children,  as  follows  : 
E.  G.,  a  retail  grocer,  of  Kansas  City,  Mis- 
souri ;  B.  S.,  who  died  in  1865  ;  J.  H.,  deceased  ; 
Catherine,  who  died  at  the  age  of  seventeen 
years ;  A.  B. ;  and  the  youngest,  who  went  to 
California  and  has  not  been  heard  from  for 
years.  A.  B.  Wright  first  worked  upon  his 
father's  farm  in  Ohio,  and  received  his  intel- 
lectual training  in  Union  College.  The  Civil 
War  then  broke  out,  and  in  1862  he  enlisted  in 
the  115th  Reg.,  Ohio  Vol.  Inf.,  and  served 
three  years,  until  the  end  of  the  conflict.  He 
was  mainly  in  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland, 
and  did  a  great  deal  of  guard  duty  from  Tulla- 
homa  to  Nashville,  Murfreesboro,  etc.,  the  work 
being  very  tedious.  He  was  just  of  age  upon 
his  return  from  the  army,  and  then  began  work- 
ing as  clerk  in  the  dry  goods  store  of  L.  Schill- 
ing &  Company,  after  which  he  worked  for  dif- 
ferent firms,  until  he  came  to  Kansas,  in  1876. 
His  brother,  E.  G.  Wright,  had  preceded  him 
about  five  years,  working  near  Topeka  one 
year,  and  afterward  at  Grasshopper  Falls, 
whence  he  had  moved  to  Wichita,  where  he  was 
identified  with  the  First  National  Bank,  when 
A.  B.  Wright  located  there.  The  latter,  being 
short  of  money,  rented  a  house  into  which  he 
moved  with  his  family.  It  was  three  or  four 
months  before  he  secured  work  as  clerk  in  the 
clothing  store  of  W.  H.  Praddock,  who  is  now 
in  Kansas  City,  and  for  whom  Mr.  Wright 
has  a  very  warm  regard.     He  had  given  him 


work  and  encouragement,   and   when   he  and 
Eugene  R.  Jones,  a  dry  goods  merchant,  started 
a  branch  store  in  the  east  end  of  town  they 
placed  Mr.  Wright  in  charge.     One  year  later, 
the  latter  purchased  the  stock  of  his  employers, 
and  did  a  thriving  business  in  a  building  which 
stood  on  the  present  site  of  the  Carey  Hotel. 
Money  became  plentiful,  and  the  crops,  which 
were  good,  were  shipped  to  Wichita  from  many 
miles  distant,  and  everything  was  at  a  good 
price.     Mr.  Wright,  later,  took  J.  L.   Hodge 
into  partnership,  and  after  a  period  of  several 
years  they  dissolved  and  he  sold  out  to  Mr. 
Hodge  in  1884.     He  then  engaged  with  E.  P. 
Hovey  &  Company  in  the  dry  goods  business 
as  salesman  and  bookkeeper,  finally  acting  as 
administrator.     He  then  worked  in  the  county 
treasurer's  of^ce  three  or  four  years,  and  at  the 
time  when  the  town  was  in  a  boom,  was  elected 
on  the  Republican  ticket  to  the  office  of  clerk 
of  the  district  court,  under  Judge  Wall  and 
Judge  Reed.     In  1889  Mr.  Wright  entered  the 
commission  brokerage  business,  opening  an  of- 
fice first  on  South  Main  street.     He  is  now  lo- 
cated on  Emporia  avenue,  where  he  has  a  large 
warehouse,  a  fine  ofiice,  and  does  an  immense 
business, — handling  great  quantities  of  fruit, 
groceries,  etc.,  on  a  percentage.     He  built  a 
fine  home  at  No.  11 22  Lawrence  avenue. 

Mr.  Wright  was  united  in  marriage,  in  Ohio, 
with  Miss  Sharpnack,  of  Salem,  Ohio,  and  they 
became  parents  of  three  daughters  and  one  son, 
as  follows :  Effie,  who  became  Mrs.  Shepherd 
and  who  is  deceased,  as  is  also  her  husband ; 
Carrie;  Mae,  who  is  a  stenographer  in  her 
father's  office;  and  Raymond,  a  bright  young 


472 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


Inisiiicss  man  who  is  also  in  his  father's  office. 
Mr.  Wright  is  a  meniljer  of  Garfield  Post,  No. 
2^.  ( i.  .\.  R. :  collector  for  the  Royal  Arcanum ; 
and  a  member  of  the  .\.  O.  I'.  W.  and  Select 
Knights.  Me  is  a  thirtj'-second  degree  Mason, 
having  taken  degrees  in  the  Scottish  antl  York 
Rites. 


1!.  CLARK*  is  one  of  the  leading  farm- 
ers of  Sedgwick  county,  where  he  has 
resided  since  February,  1875.  '" 
which  year  he  bought  a  piece  of  raw  prairie, 
which  he  has  converted  into  a  richly  cultivated 
farm.  He  was  born  in  Onondaga  county.  New 
^'ork.  July  25,  1832,  and  is  a  son  of  Alvin  and 
Jane  M.  (Spencer)  Clark. 

Alvin  Clark  was  a  native  of  Connecticut, 
where  he  lived  twenty-eight  years,  and  his  wife 
was  born  in  Onondaga  county.  New  York, 
From  his  native  state  he  moved  to  Syracuse, 
New  York,  where  he  resided  a  few  years,  and 
thence  moved  to  Jackson  county,  Michigan, 
where  his  wife  died  in  i860.  He  next  moved  to 
Jo  Daviess  county,  Illinois,  where  he  died  in 
1874,  being  eightv-si.K  years  of  age.  He  was  a 
millwright  by  trade,  and  instead  of  investing  all 
of  his  money  he  loaned  out  a  considerable 
amount.  As  a  result  of  their  marriage,  the  fol- 
lowing children  were  born  :  Helen,  who  was  the 
wife  of  Charles  Francis,  both  of  whom  are  de- 
ceased ;  Mortimer,  who  was  a  fanner  in  Illinois, 
but  is  deceased;  Mary  R.,  who  lives  in  Syra- 
cuse, New  York;  William,  who  died  in  1856; 
O.  B. ;  Lucy,  who  was  married  to  Henry  Aus- 
tin,  who  died  in  later  years,  she  also  being 


killed  in  a  runaway  near  her  home  in  Iowa; 
and  Chauncey,  who  is  a  farmer  near  Siloam 
Springs,  Arkansas. 

O.  B.  Clark  received  a  common  school  edu- 
cation, and  also  attended  an  academy  for  a  con- 
siderable period.  He  was  reared  mainly  in 
Jackson  county,  Michigan,  where  his  father 
had  moved  in  1836,  and  he  continued  to  live 
there  until  1858,  when  he  commenced  farming 
on  his  own  account  in  Fremont  county,  Iowa. 
His  next  move  was  in  1875,  when  he  came  to 
Sedgwick  county,  Kansas,  and  first  took  up  a 
tract  of  land  in  section  14,  township  27,  range 
I,  w^est.  He  lived  on  that  farm  until  1881,  dur- 
ing which  time  he  made  extensive  improve- 
ments. In  that  year,  he  purchased  the  north- 
west quarter  of  section  14,  in  Delano  township 
adjoining  his  first  property,  where  he 
makes  his  home  at  the  present  time.  The  farm 
was  taken  up  by  a  Mr.  Meade,  and  although 
some  hedge  had  been  put  out,  but  very  few  im- 
provements had  been  made  upon  it.  The  farm 
is  now-  in  first  class  condition,  and  Mr.  Clark 
ranks  as  one  of  the  most  prosperous  and  en- 
terprising farmers  in  the  county.  He  has  many 
friends,  and  a  wide  circle  of  acquaintance. 

O.  B.  Clark  was  married  January  27,  1859, 
at  Goose  Lake,  Michigan,  to  Abbie  E.  Judson, 
of  New  York  State,  who  was  a  daughter  of 
Charles  and  Louisa  (Norcott)  Judson, — of 
whom  the  former  died  in  1889,  and  the  latter 
in  1897.  She  had  six  brothers  and  sisters, 
namely:  Clarinda,  who  died  in  1843;  Hen- 
rietta, who  died  in  1861 ;  Mary,  who  died  in 
1862;  Dr.  Henry  Clay,  who  is  a  physician  in 
a  hospital  in  Detroit,  Michigan,  having  been 


SEDGWICK  COUNTY 


473 


educated  at  All;ion,  Michigan,  Ann  Arbor, 
Michigan,  and  Poughkeepsie,  New  York ; 
Charles  K.,  who  is  in  the  express  Imsiness  in 
Detroit,  Michigan;  and  Juha,  who  is  the  wife 
of  C.  H.  West,  of  Wichita.  Mr.  and  A[rs, 
Clark  have  the  following  children  :  Mary,  wife 
of  Alvin  lies,  who  lives  in  Dundee,  Texas,  and 
has  one  child, — Lena;  Charles  Alvin,  lives  on 
the  homestead  and  married  Sarah  Isleman,  by 
whom  he  has  two  children, — Ernest  and  Flor- 
ence; Albert,  who  married  Flora  Fritz,  and  has 
two  children, — Clco  and  Margaret ;  Sarah 
Louisa,  who  is  the  wife  of  Judson  Shreve,  and 
has  five  children, — Abbie,  Martha  S.,  Clark, 
and  Eva  and  Evelyn,  twins;  Orson  B.,  a 
farmer,  who  married  Mary  Mahan  and  has 
three  children, — Mildred,  Grace  and  Evelyn; 
and  Cora,  who  lives  at  home.  The  subject  of 
this  sketch  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  has 
served  as  treasurer  of  the  school  board,  and  of 
the  township  for  several  years.  He  is  a  prom- 
inent member  of  the  Plymouth  Congregational 
church  of  Wichita,  Kansas. 


HENRY  BATKA.*  But  very  few  men 
are  as  largely  interested  in  the  progress 
•  and  development  of  the  village  of  An- 
dale,  Kansas,  as  is  the  gentleman  whose  name 
appears  at  the  opening  of  this  sketch.  He  is 
one  of  its  most  substantial  and  enterprising 
business  men,  and  being  possessed  of  excellent 
judgment,  combined  with  personal  integrity, 
he  has  won  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  all. 
His  efforts  thus  far  in  life  have  been  crowned 
with  a  high  degree  of  success.    He  is  the  owner 


of  a  hardware  and  drug  store  and  has  also  a 
feed  and  livery  stable,  both  of  which  are 
favored  with  large  patronage.  He  is  a  native 
of  Flanover,  now  known  as  Germantown,  Clin- 
ton county,  Illinois,  where  he  was  born  on 
April  12,  i86S,  and  is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Mary 
(Tennison)  Batka. 

Henry  Batka  was  born  in  Hanover,  Ger- 
many. During  his  early  manhood  he  came  to 
the  LTiiited  States  and  located  in  Clinton  county,, 
Illinois.  He  purchased  a  large  tract  of  land, 
which,  after  many  years  of  hard  and  constant 
toil,  he  converted  into  a  fine  farm,  and  spent  his 
remaining  days  in  its  cultivation.  His  wife 
was  a  native  of  Holland,  and  they  were  the  par- 
ents of  a  large  family,  of  whom  the  following 
are  now  living:  George,  who  still  lives  in  Illi- 
nois; J.  Henry;  Mary,  the  wife  of  Nicholas 
Burns,  of  Aviston,  Illinois;  and  Elizabeth,  who 
resides  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri.  In  religious 
belief  the  family  were  Catholics.  Politically 
Mr.  Batka  was  a  strong  Democrat.  His  wife 
passed  from  this  life  in  May,  1893. 

J.  Henry  Batka  received  a  good  schooling, 
having  attended  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
town,  and,  later,  the  state  normal  school  at 
Carbondale,  Illinois.  He  then  began  teaching 
and  taught  in  various  parts  of  Illinois,  the  In- 
dian Territory  and  Kansas.  He  last  taught  in 
Andale,  Kansas,  in  a  German  select  school,  but 
gave  up  teaching  altogether  in  1894,  and  em- 
barked in  the  hardware  business.  Being  suc- 
cessful in  that  venture,  he  added  a  full  line  of 
drugs,  and,  later  on,  engaged  in  the  livery  busi- 
ness. He  is  agent  for  the  Deering  Harvester 
Company,  and  carries  a  complete  stock  of  farm- 


474 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


ing  implements.  In  his  livery  stable  he  has 
many  first  class  horses,  and  twelve  handsome 
buggies.  His  success  in  life  is  largely  due  to 
close  application  to  business,  and  honest  and 
straightforward    methods.     Mr.    Batka    is    a 


thrifty  and  enterprising  merchant,  and  one  of 
tiiose  who  always  lend  tiieir  influence  toward 
fostering  worthy  projects.  Like  liis  father,  he 
strongly  advocates  the  principles  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party. 


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